HANCEVILLE — Kyle Owens couldn’t have asked for much more from his Tanner team on Monday.

The Rattlers laid it all out on the court against Decatur Heritage, using every ounce of fight and spirit they had to try and pick up their first win over the Eagles in four tries this season.

And while they gave the ​fifth-ranked team in Class 2A all it wanted, it wasn’t quite enough to triumph.

Tanner’s season ended at the Northwest Regional Tournament following a 68-50 loss — just one win shy of the program’s first Final Four since 2019.

“We’re disappointed — there’s no doubt about it,” Owens said. “We wanted to be able to go further. When we look back at this game, we’ll look back on certain moments. It’s been like that at times this season ​when we’ve lost a game. We fought back, and they’ve done that all year. They showed what kind of heart they have and what kind of dedication they have.

“But you’ve got to credit Decatur Heritage and the way they were prepared for us. They were just better than us this morning.”

Decatur Heritage did its best to pull away in the first half, crafting a 24-9 lead early in the second quarter.

Tanner, though, turned up the intensity after that, outscoring the Eagles 20-4 over the final seven minutes of the period to surge ahead at halftime.

“Our defense is what gets us jumpstarted,” Owens said. “We know we have to play really good defense to jumpstart our offense. We did that in the second quarter.”

Unfortunately for the Rattlers, they couldn’t carry over that momentum into the second half.

Decatur Heritage’s Brady Wilson had a lot to do with it.

The 6-7 senior, who finished with a game-high 33 points and 16 rebounds, registered 14 points in the third quarter alone to help the Eagles build a 49-35 advantage with eight minutes remaining. Wilson’s ability to dominate both the paint and glass — combined with the Rattlers shooting just 21 percent from the floor ​in the second half — was huge in fueling Decatur Heritage’s strong performance.

And with Tanner’s tallest player measuring at just 6-2, it made playing defense that much more difficult for Owens and the Rattlers.

“The big boy is a load to handle,” Owens said. “We tried to front him, tried to get behind him, tried to double him — it didn’t matter. He was determined.”

Tanner (15-15) didn’t go quietly, though, twice trimming its deficit to single digits.

But Decatur Heritage ultimately landed the final blow — a 14-4 run over the last four minutes to close out the ​victory.

Elyjah Jones (15), DaQuaylon Malone (11) and Cade Dorning (10) led Tanner in scoring. Jones and Dorning each landed on the All-Tournament Team.

Tanner graduates three seniors in Malone, Jones and Jordan Grace, but returns a talented squad that is no doubt looking for more next season after three consecutive Elite Eights.

“I like the pieces we bring back, and I’m going to miss the ones leaving the program,” Owens said. “I feel like we’ll use this as a stepping stone to further what our goals were this year.”