Holifield, Daniels named Athletes of the Month at Heritage

Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

Basketball players Cornelius Holifield and Xaria Daniels were recently named Menifee 24/7 February Athletes of the Month at Heritage High School.

Holifield, a senior guard, averaged nearly 19 points per game in helping to lead the Patriots boys basketball team to its best season ever. Heritage posted a 7-3 league record and defeated Desert Hot Springs and Sage Hill in the playoffs before being eliminated in the quarterfinals. The team finished with a 19-9 overall record.

"A big difference in our game was our defense," Holifield said. "That really helped us a lot. We always stressed that in practice, worked on our rotations. The offense just comes naturally."

Holifield hopes to continue his basketball career in college and study marine biology.

Daniels, a sophomore point guard, averaged 13.1 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists for the girls basketball team, which qualified for the CIF playoffs before losing in the first round.

"We're mostly a team of sophomores," Daniels said. "We're young still, but we're learning."