The host team, Government Secondary School, Kwara State, thrilled home fans when it overcame Niger's Government Secondary School boys to claim the title.

Also, Benue's Queen of Rosary Secondary School yesterday at the indoor hall of the Ilorin Township Stadium confirmed its superiority in the Central Conference by defeating Niger State girls in this year's final of the Milo Secondary School Basketball Championship; just like they did in 2011.

From the start of the competition on Sunday, the Gboko girls maintained their fine form with a 100 per cent record in their matches and this they also did in grand style when they conquered the Minna girls 48-29 to win the event. Benue and Kwara have now joined Kano and Taraba, which qualified from the Savannah Conference, in the Lagos grand finale.

Meanwhile, the Kwara State Government has commended the organisers of the championship for "investing in the most essential population in sports - the youth." The Commissioner for Sports, Kayode Towoju, who represented Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed at the event, said the talents displayed at the tourney have given Nigerian sports "a brighter hope and future."

He lauded Milo Nestle Nigeria Ltd for sponsoring the programme just as he urged other corporate and private entities in the country to emulate the gesture. Besides, Towoju urged the youth, who are the direct beneficiaries, to shun violence and embrace sports, which could solve the problem of unemployment, engender peaceful co-existence and guarantee their future in a competitive world.

In her remarks, Nestle Brand Manager, Funmi Osineye, said the sponsor aimed not just to discover talents among the youth but also to nurture them to maturity. According to Osineye, "the tournament has continued not only to expose but also harness the enormous potentials of our youth and the abundant basketball talents in our country.

"Some talents sported at previous championships have found their way into the national team and other major leagues around the world. Among them are Chukwudiebere Maduabum and Benson Egemonye, who play for Denver Nuggets in the American NBA and Heilongjiang Zhao Zhao Feng Shenn in China respectively."

This year's event, she noted, witnessed a 25 per cent increase in the number of participants and over 5,000 schools participating. Besides, Nestle Milo has expanded the scope of the competition to include Akure, Lokoja and Ilorin.

A total of 12 teams in both male and female categories will emerge from the conferences to represent their zones in the grand finale next month at the National Stadium, Lagos. It will be followed with intensive camping of the overall best 50 players.

At yesterday's final event for girls, the defending champion of the zone, Queen of the Rosary Secondary School, Gboko, Benue State, retained its title by defeating Model School, Bida, Niger State, by 48 points to 29.