St. Augustine’s Seminary, Ezzamgbo School, Ebonyi
and Bayelsa’s St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata have qualified for finals
of 2017 Milo Basketball Championship after emerging winners of Equatorial
Conference in Male and Female categories respectively.
St. Augustine’s Seminary School defeated
Bayelsa’s Belary Schools, Yenegoa, 31 – 20 in Male category to throw the Indoor
Sports Hall of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, into a loud state of
excitement.
The team was presented with the trophy, cheque of
N100, 000.00 and Milo products. The female category was won by Bayelsa’s St.
Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata, after defeating Imo’s Holy Rosary
International College, Owerri, 22 – 5, also carting away with a trophy, cash
prize of N100, 000.00 and Milo products. The third place for male and female
categories was won by Community Secondary School, Pabod, Port-Harcourt, Rivers
State and Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje, Anambra State, respectively.
The Coach of the winning Ebonyi team, who also
doubles as the school’s principal, Rev. Fr. Donatus Ofuluozor, beamed with excitement as his team
look forward to a worthwhile National Finals, which will be holding from 11th
to 17th June 2017 at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos.
Himself a basketball player, he said the annual Milo Basketball Championship
has helped to keep focus during training. “I have to commend Milo for helping
basketball teams in Nigeria to develop. The competition has helped my school in
the development of basketball teams. Without the competition, maybe we would
not have been this focused,” he said.
While St. Augustine’s Seminary, on behalf of
Ebonyi, produced the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the male category, the
school has won the State Finals since 2005, won the regional finals six times
since 2010 before winning the 2017 edition, won third place at the National
Finals in 2010, won 2nd place at the National Finals in 2011, and won the
National Finals in 2012.
The MVP for the female category emerged from the
St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata. The school will be representing
Bayelsa in the female category of the National Finals where they are looking
forward to a great outing, as the team has a record-breaking standard of
practising basketball every morning and evening in Amarata.
Currently in the Conference Stages, the 2017 Milo
Basketball Championship had concluded the Central Conference in Abuja where
nine States in the North participated and the Confluence Conference in Lokoja
where another nine States in some parts of the North Central and some parts of
the North participated, before the Equatorial Conference in Enugu began. Nine States from the South East and South
South also participated in the Equatorial Conference and they are Enugu, Rivers,
Bayelsa, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra.
The game was flagged off by the Enugu State
Commissioner of Youth and Sports, Hon. Charles Ndukwe, while also commending
Nestle Nigeria Plc, sponsors of the Milo Basketball Championship, for their
commitment towards the development of grassroots sports. Also in attendance was
the Chairman of Enugu State Post Primary Schools Management Board (PPSMB),
Barr. Nestor Ezeme, who also commended Nestle Milo for the consistent effort in
the development of basketball in Nigeria.
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