Choctaw Central High School’s Kyannah Grant gets sandwiched by Velma Jackson High School defenders as she goes up for a shot during last season’s MHSAA Class 3A semifinals at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

CHOCTAW — At first glance, when looking at Choctaw Central High School juniors Kyannah and Kyarrah Grant, you’ll probably rub your eyes, refocus and look again.

It’s something to which the two have become accustomed to throughout their 16 years.

“(Sometimes) we would go to our classrooms as each other — I would be Kyannah and she would be me,” Kyarrah Grant said. “We would prank our teachers and they wouldn’t know.”

The two Lady Warriors shooting guards are twins and part of the nucleus that has raised expectations for Choctaw Central’s basketball team this season. And after a 2-point loss to Booneville High School in the MHSAA Class 3A state championship last spring, those lofty expectations aren’t unwarranted.

While the Grant twins admit to having fooled people in the past, they quickly said they’ve yet to attempt it with five-year Lady Warriors head coach Bill Smith.

“We haven’t tried,” Kyarrah Grant said with a laugh. “If so, it’s unintentional. Sometimes, he would call me Kyannah, and I’d be like, ‘I’m Kyarrah.’ So usually, people just call us the twins.”

Kyarrah and Kyannah Grant were born in Ganado, Ariz., but relocated to Mississippi after the death of their aunt. With their grandmother struggling to cope with the loss, their father, Shaun Grant, decided to move in 2010 to offer his support.

At first, the news hit Kyannah unexpectedly.

“I was really shocked,” she said. “When we were there, we moved a little bit, but it was never that far. Just moving all the way across the country is a little shocking. I was happy, sad and scared.”

Kyarrah accepted the news with a bit more optimism.

“I was happy — it was adventurous,” she said. “We were going to a different place, and staying there for a long time.”

It’s not surprising that the two consider the other their best friend. That bond helped make the distance from Arizona to Mississippi seem a lot shorter.

“It’s always good to know you have someone with you,” Kyannah Grant said. “You always have that one person with you. It’s great.”

Kyarrah explained further, “You’re never alone when you have a twin. There’s always someone there supporting you, no matter what you think. If everyone is against you, it doesn’t matter, because there’s that one person by you. And if you do something bad, they’ll set you straight.”

As expected, the alliance has benefits that have spilled over to the basketball court. Because of it, the Lady Warriors are off to a scorching 10-1 start, thanks, in part, to the twins’ contributions.

“It helps because I know her, and I know what she usually does on the court,” Kyannah Grant said. “I know where to pass it, when to pass it and if she’s going to trap and go in front of the other player to make her go the other way.”

Kyarrah said it’s like having a clone on the floor.

“We talk a lot with each other on the court, so we know what we’re thinking and what we want to do,” she said.

Twin genetics aren’t the only characteristic inherited from their parents.

Their mother, Gwynn Grant, played college basketball at UNLV from 1991-95, where she was a point guard. According to the UNLV Rebels’ basketball website, she currently holds the school’s single-season record (1992-93) for most 3-pointers made with 71. She’s listed at No. 3 (51) and No. 4 (49) on the list in the same category. Grant is also tied for No. 1 for the school’s single-season assists record (1994-95) with 180.

The twins said they model their game after their mother.

“She really was fundamentally sound,” Kyarrah Grant said. “She understood the game. She wasn’t only good, she was smart. She knew where everyone was, and what they were going to do. She had a high basketball IQ. Now, she helps us.”

Smith said while much of their basketball talent comes naturally, a large part of it can be credited to their work ethic.

“They’re the first ones on the floor in the morning, and they do things outside of school that most kids don’t do,” he said. “They work at it; most kids today don’t work at it.”

When listing their goals, the two fire off different achievements for themselves, like winning a state title, scoring lots of points and dishing loads of assists. The twins also mentioned their desire to play collegiately. Not surprisingly, when stating where they hope to play, almost in unison, they responded “UNLV,” where, Kyannah said, “we’ll stick together.”