Ghanata SHS turned a tight opening into a commanding victory as they beat O’Reilly SHS and Yendi SHS in Day Two of the 2026 National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) preliminary contest at the School of Medical Sciences Auditorium.

The contest quickly became a two-school battle, but Ghanata SHS seized control early and never surrendered it. They opened with 20 points, seven ahead of O’Reilly and 11 clear of Yendi. By Round Two, Ghanata SHS had stretched their lead to 32 points, while O’Reilly moved to 18 points and Yendi to 10 points.

Round Three offered O’Reilly a chance to close the gap, but instead Ghanata SHS continued their march, reaching 36 points compared with O’Reilly’s 20 points and Yendi’s 15 points.

The biggest surprise came in the Problem of the Day round. Yendi, despite sitting third, produced the best performance with 5 out of 10, ahead of Ghanata’s 4 points. O’Reilly, however, managed just 2 points, leaving them with more ground to recover.

Ghanata SHS responded in Round Four, moving to 44 points, while O’Reilly climbed to 36 points. Yendi remained on 22 points.

There was little drama in the final round as Ghanata SHS crossed the finish line on 51 points to win the contest. O’Reilly settled for 43 points, with Yendi ending on 22 points.

For O’Reilly, the defeat was made more frustrating by what their coordinator, Gad Ashiagbor, described as an unexpectedly nervous start.

He said he was shocked by some of the answers his contestants gave to the mathematics questions in Round One, insisting that he believed they knew the answers but appeared to have been affected by tension.

That shaky opening ultimately proved costly as O’Reilly spent much of the contest chasing Ghanata. Still, their 43 points could yet be enough to keep their NSMQ campaign alive.

With only the top five runners-up progressing to the One-Eighth Stage, O’Reilly must now wait and hope enough schools finish below their score.

Their coordinator’s wish is simple: he hopes the remaining schools do not post higher scores than theirs.

Despite the disappointment, O’Reilly had something to celebrate. The school successfully answered all the True or False questions in Round Four, earning the Jupay Special Prize – Clean Sheet.

The 2026 National Science and Maths Quiz is produced by Primetime Limited and sponsored by the Ghana Education Service with support from Goil PLC, Prudential Life Insurance, Trustur AI, Jupay Money Transfer, Lumevax, GTP, SpinCITI Laundromat, Didi Jollof, Bel Beverages, Accra College of Medicine, Coronation Insurance, Academic City University and YFM

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