In just its second year as a middle school in Denver, Rachel B. Noel’s girls’ basketball team advanced to its first championship game with its 36-33 upset victory on Tuesday afternoon over top-seeded Henry Middle School. The Cobras will play the defending champion Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School defeated Lake Middle School on Tuesday 42-34.

The boys’ division also saw a surprise as Merrill Middle School defeated top-seeded Hamilton Middle School on Tuesday 64-58. Merrill also faces the 2003 champion Martin Luther King Jr., which earned a thrilling 62-58 double-overtime victory over Place Middle School on Tuesday.

The girls’ championship game will be Thursday, February 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Bruce Randolph Middle School. The boys’ championship game will follow at 4:30 p.m., also at Bruce Randolph.

Bruce Randolph Middle School is located at 3955 Steele Street at the intersection of East 40th Avenue and Steele Street in Denver.

The Denver Nuggets/Colorado Avalanche Prep League has been a success since its inception in 1997. By creating a sports league (volleyball, basketball, soccer, hockey, baseball, softball and flag football) for boys and girls in 23 DPS middle schools, more than 3,000 middle school students who maintain a C average or better in each class participate in 1,560 games in the league annually. The existence of this academic requirement helps students develop good study habits and appreciate the importance of maintaining good grades in order to have the privilege of playing organized sports.

The participating middle schools are: Baker, Cole, Gove, Grant Ranch K-8, Grant, Hamilton, Henry, Hill, Horace Mann, Kepner, Kunsmiller, Lake, Martin Luther King Jr., Merrill, Moore K-8, Morey, Noel, Place, Randolph, Rishel, Skinner, Slavens K-8 and Smiley.

The League is funded primarily by grants from the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche Community Funds, funds of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, IKON Office Solutions, and the Denver Public Schools Foundation.

The Denver Nuggets Community Fund and the Colorado Avalanche Community Fund are both funds of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, a charitable organization located in Chicago, Illinois. These two funds have together made grants totaling more than $1 million to the DPS Prep League since 1998. Through its Communities Program, the McCormick Tribune Foundation plays a significant philanthropic role in the metro Denver area. Since 1991 the Foundation has granted more than $130 million to area nonprofit organizations. In addition to the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets, the Communities Program's Denver-area partners include the Denver News Agency, the Colorado Rockies, the Denver Broncos, and WB2 TV.

For more information, contact the Athletics Department at 720-423-3645.