The Liberty County Panthers solidified their hold on the No. 2 spot in the Region 3-AAA boys basketball standings – and kept their hopes for a regular season title alive.

The Panthers held off the visiting Groves Rebels 59-55, going to 8-2 in the region with the win. They improved to 9-2 on the season, and 11-7 on the year, with a 64-38 win Tuesday at home against Windsor Forest.

The Panthers trail region-leading Long County by two games with two games left, including the regular season finale at Long County.

Against Groves, the Panthers rode a 15-0 run to take an early commanding lead against the Rebels, but the Rebels stormed back in the second quarter to take a 22-20 halftime lead. The Panthers trailed by as much as five in the third quarter before taking a 43-41 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Liberty County girls team ran their win streak to five with a 45-38 comeback win over Windsor Forest on Tuesday.

Liberty improved to 11-7 on the season and 8-3 on the region.

The Lady Panthers downed the Lady Rebels 53-40 Friday and knocked Groves out of a tie for second place.

The Liberty County girls hit seven 3-pointers on the night, with Maritza Troche connecting on three on her way to a team-high 15 points. Aniyah Wright led all scorers with 19 points for Groves.

Liberty County closed its home regular season schedule on Wednesday against Islands and will visit Long County on Friday.