CLARKS SUMMIT, PA- Seeking their second win of the week and to bring their record back to an even .500, the Highlanders took a snowy drive up to Clarks Summit, PA to battle the Defenders of Clarks Summit University. In their first game without standout guard Julian Collazo, the Highlanders were in search of various plugs to fill the offensive gap left by Collazo's absence. Cairn took a great step forward in this afternoon's game as the Highlanders leaned on 44 bench points to fuel their 85-78 victory.
 
Clarks Summit's Antwan Bradley started the game with three straight three pointers to quickly put the Defenders' ahead. Cairn bounced back quickly behind the ever steady jump shooting of Jordan Koczman, and the leadership of Malachi Hall. When Josh Decker canned his second three pointer of the half, the Highlanders entered the first half leading by a score of 36-33.
 
The Highlanders had perhaps their best shooting second half of the season to defeat the Defenders. Cairn shot 53.3% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc, and a sterling 80% from the charity stripe to tally 49 points and close out Clarks Summit. The second half was back and forth until junior guard Josh Decker quite simply caught fire. Decker drained a transition three to stretch the Highlander lead, and also managed a four point play to put Cairn up 6 with five minutes to play. The Highlanders' Justin Dean, who finished with a double-double off the bench, sealed the deal for Cairn when he stole a Defender pass at the top of the key and took it the other way, finishing with a thunderous dunk to deflate Clarks Summit's final hopes.
 
Decker finished with 21 points and 6 threes to lead Cairn, Malachi Hall played another efficient game finishing with 17 points, and Justin Dean tallied 10 points and 11 rebounds to give Cairn a much needed interior presence.
 
The Highlanders enter the break at 4-4 and will not play again until January 3 at Keystone College.