Future Arizona Wildcats point guard scores 37, knocks down game-winning three as time expires.
Video: Nico Mannion highlights See Friday night's hero for Pinnacle in action last season.
The best game of the high school basketball season in Arizona may have come early.
Shadow Mountain star
Jaelen House knocked down a pair of free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining to give the Matadors an 80-79 lead.
That led to a big moment for Pinnacle's
Nico Mannion as he put the finishing touches on a magical night.
After losing the ball momentarily in the backcourt, Mannion regained his dribble but was forced to pull up from the volleyball line 30-plus feet away with two defenders in his face as the clock was winding down. None of that mattered for the No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2019 as he banked home the game-winning three as time expired.
The Arizona commit exploded for 27 of his season-high 37 points in the second half in a performance that will go down in Arizona high school basketball lore.
Pinnacle, Arizona's defending Class 6A state champions, improved to 6-0 on the season with a strong case to move into MaxPreps.com's first regular season Top 25 rankings on Monday.
Shadow Mountain, now 2-1, suffered its first loss to an Arizona opponent since a state semifinal defeat to
Gilbert Christian (Gilbert) on Feb. 28, 2015.
Nico Mannion in action during last year's Class 6A state championship game.
File photo: Jim Willittes
