Area News : CENTRAL CITY

A day after saying Schea Cotton wouldn’t play for the rest of the season to concentrate on his studies, Bellflower St. John Bosco boys’ basketball Coach Brian Breslin said Wednesday that Cotton will rejoin the team today and suit up for Friday’s game against St. Bernard. Cotton, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, has been sidelined since Dec. 26. Breslin said Cotton’s parents were pleased with their son’s semester grades and decided to let him rejoin the team. . . . Fairfax, which advanced to the City Section Division 4-A boys’ basketball title game last season, is 15-10 and battling for second place with Los Angeles in the Coastal Conference’s Western League. Coach Harvey Kitani is starting a sophomore and two freshmen, including 6-5 guard/forward Joe Shipp. Shipp, who’s averaging 14 points, scored 32 points and had 16 rebounds in a 101-63 victory over Venice last Friday. . . . Fremont (21-3) is expected to be the top-seeded boys’ team in the City 4-A playoffs when pairings are announced Saturday morning. The Pathfinders clinched the Southeastern Conference title Monday with an 82-66 victory over Locke. . . . The City boys’ and girls’ basketball 4-A finals will be March 2 at the Sports Arena. Last year’s 4-A title games were moved from the Sports Arena to Cal State Dominguez Hills because of budget considerations. . . . The Belmont boys’ soccer team is expected to win the Northern Conference title and receive a favorable draw in the upcoming playoffs, which will be announced Monday. The Sentinels (14-1-2) are led by senior forward Jose Juarez, who has 15 goals and eight assists. Coach Nancy Carr-Swaim has led Belmont to the final three of the past eight years.