NOTES: Injured Centennial hoops standout aims for playoffs

As Garett Scheer lay on the court after a scary fall, the senior for the Centennial boys basketball team feared his season was finished.

The final diagnosis turned out to be a little more optimistic.

Scheer, a 6-foot-7-inch forward headed to Air Force in the fall, suffered a broken bone in his left hand Dec. 26 during the Bulldogs’ opening game at the Estancia/Tustin Classic in Tustin, Calif.

He is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks, meaning Scheer should return in time for the Division I Sunset Region tournament.

“Based off the injury and what could have happened, it’s definitely one of the best possible outcomes,” Scheer said. “I was scared at first. When they took the X-ray, they said, ‘There’s something wrong. We can’t tell, but it doesn’t look good.’ ”

Scheer is averaging 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and almost one blocked shot for the No. 2 Bulldogs (11-3), who host Bonanza at 6:30 p.m. today in the Northwest League opener. Centennial’s final game of the regular season is Feb. 11, and the postseason begins Feb. 17.

Scheer was injured against Cabrillo (Calif.) after he caught an alley-oop pass from teammate Darrian Traylor. Scheer threw down a two-handed dunk, but he lost his grip on the rim and used his left hand to brace his fall as he crashed to the floor.

Scheer went to a nearby hospital for X-rays that were inconclusive. He returned to Las Vegas before the completion of the tournament to have an MRI, which revealed a break in the triquetral bone. Scheer said Monday he will be in a cast for three more weeks.

The Bulldogs are the favorites in the Northwest League and are expected to challenge top-ranked Bishop Gorman for the Sunset Region title.

“We lose a lot, his smarts and senior leadership on the floor,” Centennial coach Todd Allen said. “The way we play, there’s very few teams that can deal with his size and his length. It’s going to be hard to replace that, but it’s one of those situations where we’ve got to have guys step in.”

■ NEW FOOTBALL COACHES — Rancho hired Tom Pletsch as its football coach, and Western named John Norton to the same position.

Pletsch said Monday he will remain the Rams’ baseball coach, a position he’s held for the past nine seasons. Pletsch has a background in football, with assistant coaching stints at West Texas State (now West Texas A&M), Eastern New Mexico and Snow College (Utah).

Pletsch replaces Tyrone Armstrong and inherits a program that has lost 29 straight games.

“I’ve had opportunities in the past to take over and the timing wasn’t right,” Pletsch said. “It’s disheartening as a Rancho grad to see the program at this point. … I think we can kick-start the program and get it going in the right direction.”

Norton is a former assistant at Fordham, Iona, Jersey City State College, St. Peter’s College and Stony Brook, and he takes over for Donnie Davis. Western’s last nonforfeit victory came Nov. 5, 2010.

■ MARTELL DECOMMITS — Bishop Gorman sophomore quarterback Tate Martell, who orally committed to Washington before entering eighth grade, decommitted from the school Monday, according to multiple reports.

Martell was the Review-Journal and Gatorade state player of the year after accounting for almost 3,000 yards of total offense and 45 touchdowns. According to Rivals.com, the 5-10, 185-pound Martell has scholarship offers from Southern California, now coached by former Washington boss Steve Sarkisian, and Texas Tech.

■ SANCHEZ HONORED — Former Bishop Gorman football coach Tony Sanchez was named USA Today’s coach of the year after guiding the Gaels to the mythical national championship.

Sanchez led Gorman (15-0) to its sixth straight Nevada large-school state title last month before being hired by UNLV. The Gaels finished No. 1 in the final USA Today Super 25 rankings and PrepNation.com’s National Prep Football Poll.

■ RECENT COMMITMENTS — Bishop Gorman senior defensive lineman Jackson Perry to Vanderbilt for football. … Basic senior Jessica Clifford to College of Southern Nevada for softball.

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.