If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

The boys’ basketball team at King’s Fork High School put this classic instruction into practice Tuesday night against visiting Deep Creek High School and came away with a wild 56-54 season-opening win in double overtime.

The Hornets entered the match-up as the more highly regarded team, but the youthful Bulldogs were able to overcome both their opponent and their own mistakes.

“It’s a big win for our kids, being a young team,” King’s Fork head coach Josh Worrell said.

Worrell was not surprised by the degree to which his team contributed to the roller coaster contest.

“It was what I expected,” Worrell said. “Good possessions and then crazy possessions.”

The Bulldogs took an early 9-3 lead and then fell behind 10-9 in the first quarter. They led 25-23 at halftime, but lost the third quarter, entering the fourth with a five-point deficit, 37-32.

They missed an open three-pointer to win the game in regulation, and the game entered the first overtime period with a 43-43 tie.

By the end of that overtime, each team had added only two points to its score, resulting in a 45-45 tie and a second overtime.

The Hornets broke loose for a five-point lead about a minute and a half into the second extra period, 50-45. Rather than folding, though, the Bulldogs worked their way back into it.

“Keith Stagg stepped up close to the end of the game,” Worrell said. The sophomore scored the winning points on a layup with 28 seconds remaining.

Stagg ended up with a well-rounded effort, including 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

“Dale Roscoe and his brother Chris played well,” Worrell said. Dale Roscoe, a junior, finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Chris Roscoe had 10 points.

Worrell relished his young team’s opportunity to grow in a game. Sometimes the group would produce a good play followed immediately by a bad one, but Worrell used the game as a teaching tool.

He traced connections from game situations to different pre-season preparations. “The small, fine-tuned details that we talked about, now you realize why they’re so important,” he told his players. “We need to get a lot better, but (we’re) very fortunate to get out of there with the ‘W.’”

He said this win is a big confidence booster for his players, helping them to believe in each other. They will have even more reason to be confident in their line-up when reinforcements arrive for their next game.

“We’ll get our football kids Friday,” Worrell said, referring to the members of the football team who were freed up to try out for basketball after last Friday’s season-ending playoff game on the gridiron.

The Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0) visit Grassfield High School on Friday at 7:15 p.m.