LANGHORNE – Alex Epps-Ortiz slid to the hardwood near midcourt and waited for teammates to pile on.

Keith Blassingale, Jalil Myers and Nick Gemmell jumped up and down like they were bouncing on pogo sticks.

And as he broke out of a handshake line, Bob Hughes turned towards the opposite corner from the bench to watch his almost two-year-old son Bobby running towards him. And the facial expression said it all – the one that almost cracked Hughes down before the Colonial States Athletic Conference championship trophy was officially in his hands..

“You think about that moment for a long time,” Hughes said. “There are a lot of people who have been there- the alums, the family – who are there and who have build the program. And then you think about your own family- and what it would feel like if the moment happened. It enters your mind and you put it away. But the support they give me and all these people have given us as a program- that’s who this was for.”

This was a night that the Rosemont men’s basketball program will never forget. The Ravens capped off a stellar stretch that saw them go from last rites to the NCAA Tournament with a 100-97 win over Cairn Saturday night in a packed Mason Activity Center to clinch the programs first CSAC title.

“It was a battle,” said Keith Blassingale, who was named tournament MVP following his 28 point performance in the championship game. “No matter what happened this year, we knew that we had the best overall team and that we just needed to play together. And we did just that.”

The Ravens won eight straight after starting the season 7-12, hovering dangerously near the bubble for the CSAC Tournament. Five out of the eight wins were on the road, including two against Cairn – who was undefeated in league play up until two weeks ago.

“I think we showed the resiliency that Bob had talked about,” said Gemmell, who finished with eight points and finished with a game-sealing steal on the last possession to prevent a final Highlanders shot to tie the game. “We knew that we had to come together as a team. And that’s what we were able to do that.”

Saturday night’s game was on the seesaw. Rosemont was carried early on by Blassingale, who was fresh off his 45 point performance on Tuesday night in a semifinal win at Wilson. The junior scored 20 in the first half. It was needed as the Ravens only had a two-point lead (46-44) at intermission.

Cairn switched some defensive looks and forced Blassingale into heavily contested looks, but other Ravens stepped up. Marlon Sharpton scored 20 points despite being in foul trouble in the second half. Jalil Myers had another double double- 18 points, 10 rebounds- including two huge free throws with six seconds left that would provide the final margin.

“It was overwhelming,” Myers said. “All I wanted to do was make big plays for myself and our team. Every team has their ups and downs during the season, but we knew we could still win the conference and we knew what we had. And it kept working out for the best.”

The best case scenario will happen on Monday. That’s when the Ravens will gather at Cardinal Hall to watch their name get announced for the NCAA Division III Tournament. It will be a milestone moment for the program – one that is a long time coming.

“When I first got the job, I had a few people say I wouldn’t win 15 games there (total),” Hughes said. “We just won our 15th game for the third year in a row and we’re champions of the CSAC and going to the NCAA Tournament. That’s a testament to everyone in that room and the people we’ve had in the program.”