SCARBOROUGH — When the SMAA boys soccer game between Kennebunk and Sanford ended Wednesday night, the Kennebunk squad gathered around goalie John Burns, hugging him, patting him on the back and showing him their greatest gratitude.

The show of affection and jubilation were well deserved, after all.

Burns became the star of the night in a 1-1 double overtime game against Scarborough, making 13 saves on 14 shots.

None bigger was his save with 45 seconds left in the second overtime.

The referees called a Kennebunk player for a handball inside the penalty box, setting up a penalty kick for Scarborough. The game had been tied at 1-1 since the closing seconds of the first half, but Scarborough now had a chance to spoil Kennebunk’s night with a penalty kick.

Scarborough’s Andrew Jones lined the ball up, set himself and then blasted a kick toward the right corner of the goal. Burns lunged to his left, punching the ball wide right of the goal and preserving the tie.

“It’s just a matter of reading his hips and hope,” a humble Burns said about the penalty kick. “You dive and hope and I got lucky. It really was just luck.”

As big as the penalty stop was, Burns used more than luck 20 seconds later.

Kennebunk left Jones unmarked six yards from the goal. As a crossing pass came Jones way, he flicked a header toward the right side of the goal. Burns reacted and just got his finger tips on the ball, clearing it away from the open net and again preserving the tie.

“I saw him,” Burns said of Jones. “He was out there and I had to think, ”˜should I come out or should I stay and play the angle on him.’ I chose the latter and it worked.”

Burns play didn’t shock Rams coach Nate Bean.

“For my money, he’s one of the top keepers in the league,” Bean said. “We count on him to do that and tonight, he came up big.”

Burns only miscue of the game couldn’t be blamed on him when Scarborough scored its only goal with 13:58 to play in the first half.

Scarborough’s Austin Downing fired a grounding shot from 15 yards out. It glanced off a Kennebunk defender and popped into the goal, giving the Red Storm a 1-0 lead.

Kennebunk tied the game at 1-1 with two seconds remaining in the first half when Robby Burns, John’s younger brother, fired a close-range shot toward the left side of the goal. The ball spun awkwardly away from Scarborough keeper Ben Sirois and landed in the back of the goal.

“I thought he was going to clear it on the first touch,” Robby Burns said of Sirois. “Instead he tried to control it out and I put a foot on it and put it on net and it went in.

It was Burns first goal against Scarborough.

Scarborough had a chance to end the game in the first overtime. With 35 seconds remaining, Downing broke free and raced toward the Kennebunk goal. Burns bolted from the cage and slid, making the save just as Downing prepared to blast a shot.

It was one of several times that Burns made aggressive saves.

Jones nailed a header with 20:29 left in the second half that appeared to be going in, but Burns dove at the last minute, tipping it away.

It was almost a mirror image to two saves he made in the first half.

Kennebunk appeared to have scored a goal late in the second half when Kennebunk’s John Grillo blasted a shot from 40 yards out that arched and struck the top of the goal ricocheting 40 yards out of bounds.

A little luck also came Kennebunk’s way when Jones again put a shot on goal from 10 yards out. The quick shot hit the cross bar and bounced out of bounds.

“We know this is more than just a game for us,” John Burns said. “When we come up here, we want to play our best and I think we did that tonight.”

Kennebunk is now 3-1-2. Scarborough moved to 5-0-2.

Kennebunk plays at Cheverus Friday at 4 p.m.

— Contact Al Edwards at 282-1535, Ext. 323.