Reunited again this year with the Milton District Mustangs, they hope to write a happier ending. It is certainly looking promising after the Mustangs knocked off the two-time defending champion Burlington Central Trojans 47-30 Tuesday.

Not only did that improve the Mustangs to 6-0 heading into Thursday’s game against White Oaks — making them the only undefeated team in the Richardson Division — it also snapped the Trojans’ 31-game winning streak in league play.

“It would be amazing,” said Keisa of winning the Halton title. “It would be a great way to end high school.”

With virtually the entire lineup returning from last season, Milton expected to improve upon last year’s 2-8 record and looked to contend for the league title. But the team got an extra boost when Kayla decided to return to the Mustangs for her final season.

The 17-year-old spent last season at the National Elite Development Academy (NEDA), a Hamiltonbased program that grooms potential national team players. The sisters and their parents had talked about a reunion during the summer but it wasn’t until a couple of weeks before school started that Kayla finalized the decision to return.

“It’s my senior year and I wanted to play my last year of basketball at my school, come back have some fun and play with my sister,” she said.

“I was so excited,” Keisa said. “It’s so much fun playing with her.”

Not only has the reunion benefitted the Mustangs’ title hopes, it has also drastically cut down on the sisters’ phone bills. Though Keisa is a year younger, the two have been classmates pretty much throughout school since the younger Alexander skipped a grade.

“She’s a brainiac,” says Kayla.

“It was Grade 2,” says Keisa, “it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Still it brought them closer together than most siblings, so when Kayla departed for NEDA last year, they were on their own for the first time.

“We were so used to making friends together. We were texting each other all the time,” said Keisa. “But it was good. We weren’t known as Keisa-and-Kayla anymore.”

While the time apart may have helped them forge their own identities, it did nothing to take away from their chemistry on the court. Taking feeds from big sis, Keisa led the Mustangs with 21 points Tuesday, while Kayla had 18.

Like any sisters, they have their disagreements. Kayla wants to expand her repertoire beyond being a dominant post player/rebound machine, taking the opportunity to improve other aspects of her game. Keisa knows there are times they need her sister’s 6-foot-4 presence under the basket.

Still, they know they cannot win a championship alone.

“You can’t play with two people. You need five on the court and you need people on the bench,” Keisa said.

Returnees Brittany Tilstra, Vickie Kiriakopoulos and Meghan Greaves as well as first-year senior Tori Pickering have also stepped up and played a role in the Mustangs’ development into a contender.

Milton coach Steve Oliver has been very conscious of using his full bench, even in Tuesday’s meeting with the defending champs. The importance of getting everyone involved was reinforced on the weekend when three starters, both Alexanders and Greaves all rolled their ankles at a tournament in Ottawa. Fortunately, none of the injuries were serious, but it helps to be prepared nonetheless.

Kayla will return to NEDA for second semester after graduating from Milton District. She said the program has been instrumental in not only improving her skills but preparing her for her future off of the court.

“It’s such a tight schedule with school and practice, weights. It’s very intense,” she said. “With that schedule you have to be self-motivated and manage your time.”

That will be very useful next year. Though she has finalized her post-secondary plans, she is keeping them to herself for now. Ranked 88th among all recruits for U. S. colleges, she is relieved to have her future settled.

“I’m glad it’s over,” she said. “It’s nice at the beginning but the recruiting process is rough.”

Having those plans solidified also takes some of the pressure off, allowing her to enjoy her final season of high school basketball.

“We just have to keep pushing each other in practice to get better,” she said when asked what the Mustangs have to do to win the Halton title. “And we have to have fun because if you’re not having fun, it’s not going to go well.”

Juniors win

Rose Serafini scored 12 points to lead Milton District to a 32-12 win over Burlington Central in Tuesday’s junior girls basketball game. Courtney Germain, Sarah Jebbison and Torian Adamson each had six points. The win squared the Mustangs’ record at 2-2.