The Portal Panther boys' basketball team is currently tied for second place in the region. With the region tournament right around the corner, the Panthers are trying to peak at the right time.

One player who has been stepping up is junior post player K.J. Hunter who had 15 points and 11 rebounds in helping the Panthers to a victory over Metter Tuesday.

 “K.J. is a crafty player,” said Portal coach Jeff Brannen. He has a nose for the basketball and even though he isn’t usually the tallest player out there, he finds a way of getting rebounds and putting the ball in the basket. We are really counting on him on defense and offense to help us make a late season run.”

 “I feel like my role on the team is to try and do some of the dirty work inside,” Hunter said. “I feel comfortable doing whatever coach Brannen asks of me.

“Sometimes that is trying to get offensive rebounds and scoring and sometimes it means playing tough defense. I think our team is really coming around at the right time.”