Gwynedd Valley, PA – The Highlanders faced off against the Griffins of Gwynedd Mercy University on Wednesday evening and dropped the conference test, 80-57. Gwynedd Mercy came into the game 8-0 in the CSAC but was pushed to the limit early on in the game.
 
The Highlanders and Griffins exchanged leads through the first nine minutes with three-pointers and points in the paint getting scored for both teams. However, with about eight minutes left in the first half, the Griffins started to pull away.
 
The Griffins quickly amassed a 15-point lead over the next four minutes, which it seemed the Highlanders were never able to fully recover from. Cairn brought the deficit down to 11 points at the half but could only get as close at nine points in the second half.
 
Gerroid Doughty II led the Highlanders with 13 points, followed by Jeremiah Harris and Josh Vlna with nine points each off the bench. Jordan Sharpe led the team in rebounding with 11, while JD Zamroz dished out 11 assists in the game.
 
Julian Hyden and Arron Goodman led the Griffins in scoring with 18 points each, and both went 7-12 from the floor. Cedric Elleby pulled down 13 boards and scored 15 points for Gwynedd Mercy.
 
The Height that Gwynedd Mercy has on the team played a big factor throughout the game. The Griffins were able to score 42 points in the paint, compared to The Highlanders' 22. Additionally, Gwynedd Mercy grabbed 15 more rebounds than Cairn.
 
With the loss, Cairn dropped to 7-9 overall and 3-6 in the conference. Gwynedd Mercy improved to 11-5 overall and 9-0 in the conference with the win. The Highlanders will return to the court this weekend, barring a winter storm, when they host Centenary College.