St. Thomas Aquinas SHS picked the final riddle to pick a fifth round win over much-fancied Presec. In  Accra, the 2017 bragging rights belongs to St. Thomas Aquinas SHS when it comes to the science and maths competition.

With a 27pt margin, the Old Toms make it to the grand finale Thursday after a contest that saw them in cruise control from start to finish. Presec struggled from the start but 2017 has been better than 2016. It is just not better than their history in this competition that has seen them win the trophy a staggering five times.

 

End of Contest:

St. Thomas Aquinas: 52

Presbyterian Boys': 39

Kumasi High School: 28

Presec failed to join the league of prestigious schools who are in the finals - Adisadel College and Prempeh College. St. Thomas Aquinas will look to emulate their 2013 final victory to make it a second championship cup for the Accra-based school.

End of Round 4:

St. Thomas Aquinas SHS: 45

Presbyterian Boys' SHS: 36

Kumasi High School: 25

Fourth Round contest is full of Riddles. But this won't be too new for Presec, the entire contest today has been a riddle.

In Round 4, a correct answer is worth 2pts while an incorrect answer attracts a deduction of 1pt from accumulated points.

Scores so far: Round three

St. Thomas Aquinas SHS: 35

Kumasi High School: 24

Presbyterian Boys' SHS: 23

Eventually, it is KUHIS which best used this stage in a generally subdued third round performance. Leaders Aquinas won't be happy with 3pts but Presec won't be happy with all three rounds.

Problem of the Day: Kumasi High School: 05

Presbyterian Boys' SHS: 04

St. Thomas Aquinas SHS: 03

The third round is often used by schools to bend the curve in this race. If you do well here, chances are your school is heading for a win. Can Presec turn this around?

KUHIS has tied the round with Presec and Aquinas is playing catch-me-if-you-can. It appears St. Thomas Aquinas SHS may have watch that 2002 hit movie 'Catch Me If You Can' starring the elusive Leonardo DiCaprio.

End of Round 2: It is not looking good for Presec.

St. Thomas Aquinas SHS: 32

Kumasi High School: 19

Presbyterian Boys' SHS: 19

At the end of the first round, Presec's stuttering start has been confirmed. They trail Accra rivals Aquinas by 9pts but Aquinas is within KUHIS' catching range.

St. Thomas Aquinas SHS: 27pts

Kumasi High SHS: 23 pts

Presec, Legon: 16 pts

Presec have answered their first four questions wrongly. They appear to be going by their 2017 script which is often a weak start before a photo finish.

Five-time champion Presec must be wary of the threats posed by 2013 champions St. Thomas Aquinas SHS and Wesley Girls' slayer Kumasi High SHS in this last contest for a spot at the 2017 finals of the National Science and Maths Quiz.

St. Thomas Aquinas SHS sent a warning to all challengers with a 67pt win at the 1/8 stage. But they were nearly kicked out by Nifa SHS at the quarter-finals coming in late in the final round to win by 4pts.

Kumasi High, perennial semi-finalist in the last three editions knocked out Wesley Girls' High School, arguably the finest girls' school in the country. KUHIS has done big things before. In 2015, they dumped Mfantsipim with 70pts to 52pts. They won't be afraid to attempt a repeat this year.

Presec grabbed a tough win over Volta regional giants Ketasco in the quater-finals. It was a tight Ketasco man-marking before Presec used the final round to establish a nine-point lead.

Their performance this year has not been stylish but nonetheless effective. Nobody wants to be Arsenal in this competition. A win is a win, scrappy or scintillating.

But it must be said Presec is the only school in this competition which was not seeded after a poor performance in the 2016 edition. They are here after battling through the preliminary rounds while 27 seeded schools including several rivals rested for the 1/8 stages.