Nico Mannion, toward left side with his red hair under a teammate's pointed fingers, joins his Pinnacle High School teammates in celebrating their 6A title win over Chaparral on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019.

 Bruce Pascoe

TEMPE โ€” With his Pinnacle Pioneers struggling to pull away from Chaparral High School in the third quarter of Thursday's 6A final, Arizona signee Nico Mannion broke free for what looked like a layup.

Then he went up. And up. And kept flying through the air for a dunk that gave Pinnacle a 45-44 lead en route to an 83-64 win.

It wasn't long before the rest of the Pioneers were able to pull away. A 14-2 run gave them a 71-57 lead and Pinnacle ended up with an 83-64 win to capture the state title.

"Once I got the edge, I kind of knew I was gonna dunk," Mannion said. "I wanted some energy. It was a little boost for me and my guys."

MORE: Nico Mannion's leadership sets him apart and makes teammates better

Totaling 34 points, eight rebounds, six assists and seven steals, Mannion kept up the energy to the end, even taking a charge under the Chaparral basket with Pinnacle leading 77-64 in the final minutes.

Pinnacle coach Charlie Wilde did not flinch when his star guard hit the floor hard against physical Chaparral players.

"That's all part of what the team does, and he's done that," Wilde said. "He's led our team in charges and usually it's on the ball handler โ€” he jumps it and the guy pushes him but, taking a charge like that in a game like this? Absolutely."

Playing before UA assistant coach Danny Peters and several thousand fans at Wells Fargo Arena, Mannion also showed his ability dishing six assists to two turnovers.

Mannion will get plenty of time to recover. He said he plans to take some time off but will play in the McDonald's All-American Game next month and said he'll be getting ready to play for Arizona.

"Got a lot to do," Mannion said. "Gotta get bigger, quicker, faster, stronger โ€” all that stuff. Got to put on a little weight before I go out there. try to hit the ground running."

At the same time, Mannion spent time after the game posing with teammates for photos, congratulating them and soaking it all in.

It was his last high school game, after all.

"I'm happy for college, but I'm sad to leave high school," Mannion said.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at 573-4146 or bpascoe@tucson.com. On Twitter @brucepascoe