AUBURN — Deering had the ball, facing a two-point deficit in the final seconds Tuesday night of their Class AA North boys’ basketball game against Edward Little.

Max Morrione took the inbounds pass at half court with 6.3 seconds left, spun off a defender and drove to the hoop and into a crowd for a short runner that bounced off the back iron. Edward Little’s Wol Maiwen pulled down the rebound and killed the final second for a 63-61 Red Eddies’ victory.

Maiwen led the Red Eddies (9-2) with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Max Creaser added 17 points and nine rebounds.

Ben Onek paced Deering (6-5) with 23 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out with 21 seconds remaining. Darryl Germain added 18 points, including five 3-pointers.

“That was a big win for us. Everybody stepped up for us and did something different, and the things they were supposed to do,” Edward Little Coach Mike Adams said. “They have a lot of weapons and they use them well, and it’s a nice two-man game that they have with (Onek and Germain), and other players stepped up and did things really well for them.”

Deering took possession with a chance to tie or win after Maiwen missed a pair of free throws with 9.5 seconds to go.

After a Deering timeout, Edward Little used the foul it had to give near midcourt, stopping the clock before the final play.

“We got the shot that we wanted,” Deering Coach Todd Wing said. “Edward Little made a play on the ball. You want the players to decide that. There might have been a little contact, but no coach expects that contact (to be called a foul). The players have got to decide it.”

Edward Little led by as many as seven in the third.

But Deering, which shot 50 percent both inside and outside the 3-point arc battled back to within 33-30 at halftime and took a 49-48 lead into the fourth quarter on back-to-back 3s from Onek and Cole Martinson.

“There’s no break in this team,” Wing said. “They believe that they can be right there at the end.”

Deering took its biggest lead (56-52) when Germain drilled a pull-up jumper. A hoop by Creaser and a steal and dunk by Maiwen tied it with 3:54 remaining.

Creaser put the Eddies in front for good, 60-58, with 1:04 left.

Deering’s next two chances to tie or go ahead ended with a missed shot by Germain and with Creaser taking a charge from Onek (his fourth foul).

Edward Little broke Deering’s press with a baseball pass to Austin Brown for a layup that increased the lead to 62-58. Onek answered with a 3-pointer with 21 seconds to go, but then took his fifth foul.

Creaser made the first free throw and missed the second, but hustling teammate Jamaine Luizzo forced a jump ball on the rebound with alternating possession giving the ball back to the Eddies.