Heritage wins again in boys basketball playoffs, 61-53

Francis Dogani (0) and Cornelius Holifield (4) of Heritage High surround a Sage Hill player during Friday night's CIF playoff game. Photos by Kristi Jo Aguirre

Heritage High School battled back from a slow start to use tough defense in scoring a 61-53 home victory over Sage Hill of Newport Beach Friday night in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4A boys basketball playoffs.

The victory improved the Patriots' record to 19-8 and enabled them to advance to the quarterfinals Tuesday night at Notre Dame of Riverside.

"It was a great defensive battle," coach Andrew Ellis said about Heritage's win. "That's probably the best defense we've played all year long. "We struggled a bit offensively, but after the first couple minutes when they jumped on us, we fought back and played a solid game. It was a collective effort.

Senior guard-forward Cornelius Holifield (left) led Heritage scorers with 21 points, followed by junior guard Francis Dogani with 13. The Patriots led 29-24 at halftime and were able to keep things under control the rest of the way.

The win was the second in a row in the postseason for the Patriots, who beat Desert Hot Springs at home on Tuesday, 78-57. The team has bounced back from consecutive losses to Temescal Canyon and Paloma Valley at the end of the regular season.

"The playoffs are a different feel for the kids," Ellis said. "The three practices we had right after those losses were hardest practices we've had since the start of the year. We talked about it and said, 'This is the way we're going to play. It re-set everybody's mindset. Luckily, that translated into wins the last two games."

Heritage's Scottie Strong guards a Sage Hill ballhandler Friday night