By Alexander Tonico

Friday night was a night to remember as the girls and boys teams swept a doubleheader against visiting Chamblee High.

Senior Naria Woods made the most of her last regular-season home game, scoring 15 points and recording three assists to lead the girls. Senior Aliya Maloof also had a great game, finishing with 12 points on only seven shot attempts to go along with seven rebounds in her final Grady home game. The Bulldogs tried to give Grady a scare when they closed the lead to eight in the fourth quarter, but the Grady girls cruised from there to a 53-44 win. It was the Knights’ second victory over the Bulldogs this season. Grady beat Chamblee 52-47 at Chamblee on Jan. 6.

At the end of the girls game, the team’s seniors were honored. Each player was given a basketball with her teammates’ signatures on it.

In the nightcap, the boys also defeated Chamblee for the second time this season. There was no tip off because the first two points of the game were scored on technical free throws after a Chamblee player touched the rim during pregame warmups. Midway through the first half, Tykwaan Bryant threw down a hammer dunk that ignited the Grady crowd and really swung the momentum Grady’s way. The home team never looked back.

The boys were able to keep Chamblee at arm’s length the rest of the way, winning by a comfortable 58-35 margin. Avi Toomer finished with a double-double, finishing the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Towards the end of the game, Coach Weeden put in freshman Aedan Kaduma and the crowd immediately got behind him, chanting his name and urging him to score. For the game’s final points, Kaduma converted a layup that sent the crowd into hysterics.

With the victories, both teams improved their Region 6 AAAA record to 9-9. Both teams will be seeded sixth in the region tournament that begins on Tuesday.