"I felt we were the best team here [although] I knew Rotorua were going to be very good," Wooten said.
He alluded to a tit-for-tat game where both sides kept each other in check with only a few points separating them until the last four minutes.
The hosts took their defence to a different level, stifling the visitors to just one point as they led 73-63 for three minutes.
Rotorua posted one point with 11 seconds remaining, amid a rash of fouls to try to secure possession.
Wooten threaded his worry beads a little when HBHS point guard Mataeus Marsh and New Zealand rep Isaia Jones-Mitchell were fouled out but he needn't have because his bench stepped up with aplomb.
"I always thought our bench is what would win us the game in the fourth quarter."
Back-up versatile guard Marcos Edwards hadn't trained for three weeks but his explosive bursts told a lie on the court.
"We had suddenly had four guys on foul trouble and we haven't had that all year long," said the former IMS Payroll Hawks coach, with a grin.
His decision to switch zonal defence for the second half to prevent Rotorua's sharp shooters getting too much of a look in at the rim from wing paid dividends.
"We were in a two-three zone so we went to a three-two one, which is a one, two, two so that got our hands on their shooters just a fraction bit more," said Wooten, emphasising his guards' long arms stymied Rotorua's lethal open jump shots.
HBHS struggled from the free-throw line but, fortunately for them, so did Rotorua.
The hosts' rebounding could have been better, too.
Wooten said last year New Plymouth were better but they need to emulate yesterday's form on the road.
Next year he will lose the services of co-captains Marsh and Kaleb Edwards, Mickey Stirling and possibly Josh Anderson.
Jones-Mitchell claimed a game-high 21 points with Anderson scoring 17 and Marsh chiming in with 11.
For Rotorua, Tamakari Vercoe-Kameta (17 points), captain Logan Elers and Bruce Mabagos (14 each) spearheaded their resolve.
Coach Mark Elers bemoaned his troops' missing too many free throws in their quest for a maiden title.
"If we'd made ours it would have been different towards the end," Elers said, adding they needed to push the score towards the 80 mark.
He felt it was a "revenge match" for HBHS, who they had beaten last year in the playoff for ninth at the nationals.
"It's the start of the year for us, not the end, so we're happy and looking at qualifying for the nationals," Elers said.
