Langhorne, PA – The Patriots traveled back to Mason Activity Center to face the Highlanders of Cairn University for a 2 p.m. Saturday tip-off. Despite only trailing by 4 points at the half, the Patriots failed to find offensive rhythm in the second-half, falling 96-77.

The Bradford brothers put on a show for the Patriots with Owen Bradford tallying 23 points, 9 rebounds, while Derian Bradford notched 20 points and 7 rebounds. Bennie Howard Jr. had his second consecutive double-digit contest, netting 10 points. Matthew Altamirano began his sophomore season with 10 points and 2 steals.

"I take full responsibility for our play this weekend", head coach DJ Damazo shared. "On Friday, we wanted to implement our new zone and were committed to trying to make it work. Normally, we would have adjusted to another defense, but I really was committed to this plan. Cairn did a great job attacking the zone and making shots, which exposed us. I am really proud of the way we responded on Saturday. We really challenged our guys and they came through.  It is not easy to gear up to be ready to play again less than 18 hours after getting embarrassed. The first half looked like the brand of basketball we try to play.  In the second half, we ran out of gas, which again is on me. Overall, our staff was pleased with the way that we responded on Saturday and hope it can be a springboard for our next game."
 
With an interesting first-half, the Patriots and Highlanders consistently traded buckets. Although Cairn found an 11-point lead six minutes into the contest, Valley Forge sparked a 14-4 run to be within 1-point of the lead. The Highlanders refused to let the Patriots take the lead as they gained another double-digit lead with just six minutes remaining. Valley Forge nibbled at the lead after Derian Bradford drained a short jumper, Daysean Harris hit a three and two shots at the line, and another Derain Bradford three-ball. Valley Forge closed out the first 20 minutes of play with a three-pointer from Bennie Howard Jr. and a jump shot from Altamirano.

Trailing 46-41, Valley attempted to find consistency in their game but Cairn would control the remainder of the contest, outscoring the Patriots 52-36 while going 55.26% from the field (21-38).

Kameron Clark led the Highlanders to victory as he gathered a notable double-double with 29 points, 18 rebounds. The Highlanders hit 40-77 from the field (51.9%), 8-25 from behind the arc (32%), and 8-15 from the free-throw line (53.3%).

As a team, the Patriots went 27-68 from the field (39.7%), 7-30 from the three-point line (23.3%), and 16-24 from the stripe (66.7%).

Valley Forge will look to find a win as they travel to Clarks Summit, PA on Friday, February 19^th to face the Defenders of Clarks Summit University at 6 p.m.