C.J. Yarbrough scores two of his 34 points in Monday's Northwest Regional championship victory over Mars Hill. Yarbrough was named tournament MVP for his performance.

HANCEVILLE – Tanner’s nickname may be the Rattlers, but on Monday evening, Tanner took its inspiration from a much smaller animal, putting in a spectacular defensive performance to handily defeat Mars Hill 73-56 in the Class 2A Northwest Regional championship game at Wallace State-Hanceville.

“We’re like pesky bugs,” Tanner guard C.J. Yarbrough said. “We’re on you. We’re everywhere.”

While the Rattlers’ defense did the job, especially in the first half, Yarbrough’s offense put Tanner over the top. The junior scored 34 points to cap off a tournament MVP performance.

Yarbrough nearly matched Mars Hill’s total points in the first half, scoring 19 to lead the Rattlers to a 36-23 halftime advantage.

The 19 points included hitting 3-of-4 3-pointers and 7-of-11 shots overall. While it was obvious to everyone Yarbrough was hot shooting the ball, he didn’t realize how good a shooting day he was going to have until he hit his first couple of shots.

“Sometimes I come out and hit a jump shot and feel good, and the next time I throw it over the goal,” Yarbrough said. “But my teammates saw I was hot and kept giving me the ball, and I kept knocking them down.”

While Tanner dominated the first half, Tanner coach Chris Whitt knew a Mars Hill run was coming. After all, this was the fourth times the two teams had played, with the Panthers defeating the Rattlers in both regular-season matchups.

“I told the team at halftime, they’re going to make a run, and the game would come down to how we responded,” Whitt said. “And they did just that.”

Mars Hill’s run came early in the third quarter, as the Panthers opened the quarter on a 16-6 run. A 3-point play by Avery Thrasher cut the Tanner lead to 42-39 with 3:22 remaining in the third quarter. At that point, Whitt called timeout to try and settle his team down.

“I told them that we knew this (run) was coming, and we just have to take control on the defensive end and make plays on the offensive end,” Whitt said. “It was scary, because I knew what they (Mars Hill) was capable of doing.”

After a Tanner missed shot, Mars Hill had a chance to tie the score, but Thrasher’s 3-point attempt missed and Malik Atkins responded with a fast-break layup to make it a five point game. That seemed to settle the Rattlers down, as Tanner outscored Mars Hill 6-2 the remainder of the third quarter, capped off with an offensive rebound and basket at the buzzer by Jireh Jackson to give Tanner a 48-41 lead.

“I’m so proud of how our guys responded and took control,” Whitt said. “That was the difference in the game, the way we responded.”

Jackson’s basket to end the third quarter epitomized his play during the game, as the sophomore played major minutes and helped his team out with tenacious defense and timely baskets.

“Jireh is just a solid guy, and he’s capable of hitting shots as well,” Whitt said. “Him and Jaquan Thompson always seem to be in the right spot on the floor.”

With the Mars Hill run having sputtered, Tanner dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Panthers 25-15 to pull away for the victory.

Atkins scored 16 points for Tanner to go with Yarbrough’s 34, while Nathan Montgomery added nine. Mars Hill was led by Cade Parrish with 19 points and Thrasher with 15.

Monday’s win was some redemption for the Rattlers, who missed the state tournament last season after making it the previous three years, including a state championship in 2013. Tanner will play St. Luke’s Episcopal, of Mobile, in the state semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham.

So what is the difference this season? Whitt said it’s all about defense.

“We’re just locked in now defensively,” he said. “We feel we can guard anybody that we’re up against. I feel more confident with our defensive team than I have the last four years.”