Nuggets' Nene will play for Brazil team

Nuggets forward Nene says he will be released to play for Brazil in the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament later this month in Las Vegas.

Nene's participation had been in doubt as the Nuggets and the Brazilian Basketball Confederation negotiated an insurance policy in case he were to be injured in Las Vegas.

Nene admitted the insurance contract wasn't finalized yet but said Nuggets officials guaranteed he will be released.

"I asked them: 'Will I be able to play?' And they said, 'Yes,' " Nene told the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper. "That's why I am here."

STEPHENS POCKETS TITLE Columbine High School graduate Ryan Stephens carded a final-round 67 to win the Colorado Golf Association Stroke Play Championship by five shots Sunday at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora.

The Texas Wesleyan athlete totaled an 18-under 270 over four rounds, including 23 birdies and two eagles.

RAINIERS POUR IT ON Oswaldo Navarro drove in a season-high four runs to power the Tacoma

Rainiers to an 11-3 victory Sunday against the host Colorado Springs Sky Sox in a Pacific Coast League game.

REAL RUSH Shannon Koundourakis (Arapahoe High School) collected a hat trick, and Della Hartley (Wheat Ridge High School) scored a goal to lead the Real Colorado National under-15 girls to a 4-1 victory Sunday against Libertyville, Ill.- based Eclipse Select in the Red Bull National League tournament in Danville, Calif.

Noelle Limbird (Lewis-Palmer High School), Haley Stading (Evergreen High School) and Kaitlyn Basset (Chatfield High School) scored goals to lead the Colorado Rush under-15 girls to a 3-2 win against St. Louis SC.

BETTER LATE Arvada driver Darren Robertson and Aurora driver Dan Savage each won Late Models races Saturday at Colorado National Speedway in Erie.

Nick Martinez (Littleton, Figure Eights), Shane Riddell (Denver, Super Stocks), Terry Plummer (Loveland, Legends) and Josh Fellows (Loveland, Sprints) also won races.

GARMANN LEADS PACK Milliken resident Dave Garmann won the Modifieds feature race Saturday night at I-76 Speedway in Fort Morgan.

Nick Engen (Erie, Street Stocks), Travis Bayne (Windsor, Mod-Lites) and Loren Walker (Fort Morgan, Econos) also won races.