Nigeria, June 26 -- New finalists from Katsina, Ekiti and Taraba have emerged as the biggest talking points ahead of the 26th edition of the Nestle MILO Secondary School Basketball Championship, underlining the growing reach of one of Nigeria's longest-running grassroots sports development platforms.

Twelve teams - six boys' sides and six girls' sides - from across the country's four regional conferences will converge on Lagos from Friday for the national finals, with defending champions Father O'Connell Science College of Niger State leading the field in the boys' category.

However, the emergence of states making their first appearances at the national finals has added a fresh dimension to this year's competition.

Speaking during the ...