STANDISH – Every once in a while, good teams need to face some adversity to test their resolve.

That was the case for Deering Friday night as it survived Bonny Eagle’s fourth-quarter comeback to escape with a 57-55 overtime victory over the Scots in a Southern Maine Activities Association boys’ basketball game played in front of a raucous holiday crowd at Bonny Eagle.

“This is probably one of the best program wins we’ve had in years,” said Deering Coach Dan LaGage. “I think this win really brought these kids together. They faced a lot of adversity and showed a lot of resilience — tough crowd, calls that weren’t going their way. I was really happy to see how they responded.”

Deering improved to 6-0 with the win. Bonny Eagle dropped to 4-2.

Labson Abwoch, who paced the Rams with 21 points and 12 rebounds, punctuated an excellent individual performance with a defensive gem on Bonny Eagle’s last-second layup attempt that would have forced a second overtime.

“The play at the end really speaks to his ability,” said LeGage. “We say great players make big plays. Labson Abwoch rotates over and pins (Bonny Eagle’s) Cole Libby to win the game.”

The two teams were unable to score from the field in overtime, a fitting end to a game dominated by trips to the free-throw line. Deering made four of six in the four-minute extra period while Bonny Eagle connected on their two chances.

It was Bonny Eagle that dominated from the line during regulation. The Scots went to the line a remarkable 42 times in the game, accounting for 31 of their 55 points.

In comparison, the Rams shot only 23 free throws, sinking 14.

“It was a really tough game and a lot of things weren’t really going our way,” said Abwoch, who was whistled for two fouls in the first quarter but managed to play foul-free the rest of the game. “We just found a way to stick it out.”

Despite holding a 10-point lead late in the first half and a 12-point advantage in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, the Rams couldn’t find a way to close out Bonny Eagle.

The Scots used a 7-0 run (including five successful free throws) in the final 1½ minutes of the opening half to trail 30-27 at the break.

The Rams answered with a 12-2 run to open the second half to restore some distance. Chhorda Chhorn’s 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter increased the Deering lead to a game-high 12 points, 45-33.

However, Bonny Eagle rallied late and forced the overtime with a 13-3 run in the final three minutes of regulation. Dustin Cole started the outburst with the first of two 3-pointers. His second, with just under a minute remaining, set the stage for Libby’s tying bucket with 14.8 seconds left.

“They played hard and played together but we just didn’t have shots that fell all night,” said Bonny Eagle Coach Phil Bourassa. “It was a frustrating game for sure. But the kids did show some character.”

Libby paced the Scots with 23 points in the game, 19 coming off free throws. Cole added 21.