Things are coming together just fine for the Cumberland Gap Panthers as they enter the home stretch of the season.

Cumberland Gap won at Grainger in a make-up game Monday night, 58-54, and followed that up Tuesday with a 61-58 home win over Chuckey-Doak.

The Panthers have now won four straight and are 6-3 in district play with their final three district games all at home. They appear to have the three seed all but locked up and could move up to second if they win out and Claiborne slips up.

Hard-nosed defense and balanced scoring have been the key to the Panthers’ recent success, coach Joe Wolfenbarger said.

“The effort’s been there all year and they’re doing a real good job defensively,” he said. “Different kids are stepping up on the offensive end and we’re getting three or four in double figures just about every game.”

Monday the Panthers found themselves in a dogfight at Grainger as the Grizzlies led by one after the first period. But it was Cumberland Gap getting the upper hand from there.

Timmy Ayers had a game-high 16 points, John Douglas and Trae Minton scored 13 each, Mason Goad added eight with Ben Arnold finishing with five and Jeffrey Matlock three

“It was a physical game and our guys did a good job of keeping their composure and hit some big free throws at the end,” Wolfenbarger said.

Minton went 4-for-4 from the line in the fourth quarter as the Panthers held on to win by four.

Tuesday Chuckey-Doak came out in a 3-2 zone, determined to keep Ayers from getting the ball in the low post.

Minton hit an early 3-pointer for Cumberland Gap and Arnold scooped up a loose ball and delivered a nice outlet pass to Minton for an easy layup as the Panthers jumped out to a 7-2 lead.

Minton scored 16 of his 19 points in the first half. Douglas finished with 13 and Matlock 10.

By the fourth quarter the Knights were forced to play man-to-man and Ayers took advantage down low as he scored eight of his ten points in the final period as the Panthers held on for the three-point win.

Cumberland Gap (14-8, 6-3) hosts Greeneville Friday.