KENNEBUNK — Just call him “Big Shot” Baldino.

For the second straight game, with its playoff hopes on the line, Biddeford guard Chance Baldino made a game clinching shot to save the day.

On Saturday against Portland, Baldino made a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining, allowing the Tigers to escape with a 57-54 win.

Tuesday night, Baldino made one of the best Houdini-like escapes one can make in basketball, a desperation half-court shot at the buzzer at the end of overtime to tie Kennebunk 52-52 and force the game to go to a second overtime.

In the end, the Tigers defeated the Rams 56-54.

Baldino said he thought there was a 50-50 chance the ball would go in on the shot.

“I thought it had a pretty good chance of going off the glass,” Baldino said. “When I shot it, I wasn’t initially trying to bank it, but when I shot it, it felt like it was going to go off the glass. I felt like it was a 50 percent chance it was going in.”

Biddeford head coach Mike Fecteau said he also thought Baldino had a chance of making the shot at the buzzer.

“When I saw the missed free throw and saw Chance dribbling down the court, it looked good leaving his hand,” Fecteau said.” He had to throw a Hail Mary, that was our only chance. He was a little excited when he hit that shot.”

Baldino finished with 23 points on the evening, including a five for six performance at the free-throw line.

With the win, the Tigers, ranked eighth in the Maine Principal Association Heal Point standings, keep its playoff hopes alive coming into the final game of the season, a home contest against rival Thornton Academy on Thursday.

With ninth ranked Scarborough defeating the Golden Trojans 66-63 Tuesday night, the Tigers will need to upset Thornton to keep the eighth and final slot in the Western Maine Class A Playoffs.

“I heard Scarborough beat Thornton, so now we have to beat T.A. to get in,” Fecteau said. “I guess it’s nothing better than Senior Night, at home and we’ve just got to go to work and hopefully good things come out of it.”

The Trojans defeated Biddeford in the first contest, 55-44 Jan. 26 at the Linnell Gym in Saco.

Until the final seconds of regulation, it appeared Kennebunk (1-16) was on the verge of making the upset of the season in York County. Playing its best basketball of the season, the Rams spread the ball around the floor with quick passes, picking and choosing its spots to take shots. Offensively, forward Van Brazz and guard Matt Dube led the Rams with 14 points each.

Defensively, Kennebunk hit the boards with reckless abandon all game long, with Ethan Drigotas leading the charge.

Kennebunk head coach John Dube said the game was the Rams best performance of the season.

“The whole double overtime, the life of [the game], the points we scored. Offensively, we made our shots, we made layups. We did a lot of good things tonight, which we don’t normally do.”

The Tigers (10-7) struggled with ball control and passing, while also missing easy layups, but kept scrapping away, doing just enough to keep up with the Rams on the scoreboard.

The game was tied 35-35 going into the fourth quarter, with scoring going back and forth until the final minute. Brazz fouled Biddeford guard Abdimajid Mohamed with thirty seconds to play, forcing him to go to the foul line.

Mohamed made both shots, giving the Tigers a 47-45 lead.

Brazz was later fouled with only moments remaining, forcing him to make both free throws to force overtime. Brazz knocked both shots down to secure the 47-47 tie.

Scoring continued to go back and forth in overtime until the final seconds, when Brazz made another free throw to give Kennebunk a 52-49 lead. That was, until, Baldino made his game saving shot, forcing yet another overtime.

The Tigers finally pulled ahead 56-54, thanks to foul shots by Baldino and forward Nick Simpson. Rams guard Christian Elkington heaved a desperation shot of his own at the buzzer, but it clinked off the front of the rim, sealing the win for Biddeford.

Though it was a heartbreaking loss for Kennebunk, John Dube said the performance shows the promise the Rams could potentially have in the future. Kennebunk returns all but two players next season.

“We know, they see it,” Dube said. “The young guys, they have it written on their shirts. They know. So we need this experience so we can grow. We haven’t had many of them, but we’re getting them, and that’s the key.”

— Contact Staff Writer Dave Dyer at 282-1535, Ext. 318.