Government Secondary School Zing from Taraba State won the girls' title at the Savannah Conference regional finals of the Milo Basketball Championship, defeating Government Girls College Unity School, Bauchi, 53-43. Happy Sylvester powered Zing's victory with 38 points, earning her the Most Valuable Player award in the girls' category. In the boys' final, Family Support Programme, Katsina, narrowly defeated Government Secondary School Numan, Adamawa State, 64-63 in a tense showdown. Friday Emmanuel scored 22 points to lead Katsina to victory and was named MVP of the boys' competition. The finals were held at the Sani Abacha Indoor Sports Hall in Kano, marking the start of the 26th edition of the championship. Opeyemi Jaiyeola, speaking on behalf of Milo representative Gilbert Tweneboah, noted the tournament's expansion from fewer than 500 schools in 1999 to over 12,000 schools today. The event drew officials from the Kano State Ministry of Education and Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as representatives from the Nigeria School Sport Federation, Nigeria Cricket Support Foundation, FIBA, and the Olympic Commission. The Savannah Conference is the first of several regional finals, with the Central Region Finals next scheduled at the Indoor Sports Hall of Mogadishu Barracks. The winners from each region will advance to the National Finals in Lagos in July, continuing the tournament's role in identifying young basketball talent across Nigeria.
Happy Sylvester scoring 38 of her team's 53 points suggests Zing's offensive output was heavily reliant on a single player. That level of individual burden could pose challenges against deeper, more balanced teams at the national level. Sylvester's performance gives Taraba a standout talent to build around ahead of the Lagos finals.
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