“It’s exciting. I’m filled with emotions,” the six-foot-four-inch star said after leading the Milton District Mustangs to a 63-37 win over the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders in Thursday’s Halton Tier 2 senior girls final at Sheridan College. “I’m just bursting with excitement.”

The opportunity to share a championship with her younger sister, Kesia, is what brought Alexander back to Milton District after spending a year at the National Elite Development Academy in Hamilton.

They proved to be a formidable one-two punch against the Raiders, with Kayla scoring 30 points and Kesia adding 17. Meghan Greaves and Brittany Tilstra each had six.

Knowing they would be at a disadvantage rebounding against the towering elder Alexander, the Raiders’ plan was to fire at will from the outside. For the first 10 minutes it was an effective strategy, as Aquinas hit on four of its first eight attempts from beyond the arc.

At the other end, Greaves gave Milton a shooting threat from the perimeter while Alexander and Tilstra provided an inside presence that Aquinas just couldn’t match.

“A lot of the time I had to box her out and she would just reach over me and grab the ball,” said Aquinas’ Emily Quinn, who is a foot shorter than Alexander.

Even when Aquinas jammed the lanes or double teamed Alexander, she hit fade-away jumpers that seemed effortless. Still, the Raiders’ shooting kept them in the game as the teams were tied 18-18 in the second quarter.

“We tried not to think about anything negatively,” said Kesia. “We didn’t worry about what they were doing.”

Added Kayla, “We just tried to focus on our next possession.”

That philosophy also proved to be a calming influence on the team.

“All last night I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, but our captains were pretty reassuring,” said Tilstra, one of four core players who will return next year.

Milton’s patience paid off. Eventually Aquinas’ long-distance shots stopped falling. That only made Milton’s rebounding advantage even more prominent. The Mustangs began to pull away late in the second, building a 29-22 lead at the half.

In the third Kayla used her speed to force turnovers and her drives to the basket repeatedly sent her to the foul line. She scored eight points during a 24-1 Milton run that put the game out of reach.

The Mustangs should have a much stiffer test this afternoon, when they travel to Malton to take on Peel champion Ascension of Our Lord for a berth to ‘AA’ OFSAA next week in Thunder Bay.