LANGHORNE, PA – Cairn Men's Basketball defended Langhorne from the Patriots of Valley Forge on Wednesday night, matching up in the First Round of the United East Men's Basketball Championship. The Highlanders came out victorious, winning their third game over Valley Forge this season, 81-62.
 
The seven-seeded Highlanders came out strong in front of the Cairn Crazies, quickly building a double-digit lead as graduate guard Corey Baldwin (Henderson, NC / Averett) had seven points in the first five minutes with classmates Jadon Cepeda (West New York, NJ / William Paterson) and Josiah Hardy (Ashburn, VA / Hampden-Sydney) draining threes to secure early momentum, holding Valley Forge (11-17 / 6-10 UNITED EAST) to a single bucket for six minutes. Hardy found an open look for a layup as the Patriots cut it to single digits.
 
Cairn (13-13 / 9-7 UNITED EAST) got back to building with four points each from Cepeda and graduate guard Jaylon Simpson (Atlanta, GA / Belmont Abbey) along with senior guard Jonathan Desir (Feasterville, PA / Neshaminy) firing away from three-point range. Cepeda then got a layup after junior forward Andre Burrell, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA / Burlington Co. Tech) swatted a shot and scored a three on the next possession. Desir drove to the cup and got fouled, knocking down both free throws as Cepeda added another three with the first half coming down to the wire. Hardy closed out the half with a tip-in layup and pair of free throws, ending the period on a 21-5 run and ahead 46-20.
 
Valley Forge outscored the Highlanders 13-5 out of the break until Hardy completed a four-point-play, hitting a three in front of the bench as he took a shot to the chest and knocked down a free throw to get the momentum back in the right direction. Fifth year forward Isaiah Coleman (Fontana, CA / Clarks Summit University) got hot from behind the arc, splashing a pair of threes with an open layup from Cepeda moving the lead back to twenty, likely the daggers given the time and score at that point. As the Highlanders kept scoring via all avenues, Valley Forge scrambled for an answer but came up short, missing open layups at the rim and turning the ball over.
 
As the contest hit the two-minute mark, Cairn cleared the bench, declaring victory in only a matter of time as the clock ticked down to all zeros. The Highlanders picked up their first postseason win since 2022, 81-62 over the Patriots as they continued their perennial dominance over Valley Forge.
 
Cepeda tallied 21 points on 6-12 shooting and a trio of three-pointers, also going perfect at the free throw line (6-6) with seven rebounds and four assists. Hardy added 18 with a pair of deep shots and six boards. Simpson was also in double-digits in the form of 15 points. Baldwin was in control on defense with 11 rebounds and five steals while Burrell, Jr. had three blocked shots.
 
Cairn will match up with #2 Penn St. Harrisburg on Saturday in the Quarterfinal Round from Middletown, PA tipping off at 1 p.m.