South Portland guard Manny Hidalgo plays an unpredictable style that often leaves those who watch him smiling. "I don't think there's many people who play anything like him," teammate Gabe Jackson said. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

Watching Manny Hidalgo play basketball is like listening to jazz.

The South Portland High senior guard throws down a changing percussive beat with his dribble, building anticipation. Then he hits an improvisational stream on his way to the basket. His shots come from different angles and tempos, never predictable.

The ball is shot over the arms of much taller opponents, often with a soft kiss high off the backboard. When the ball goes through the rim, as it does at a 54.6% clip on two-point attempts, the audience realizes that Hidalgo has again done the unexpected.

His path, the shot itself, is unconventional, even daring.

But Hidalgo’s tireless hours of practice give him the fundamental command of his game. He works to perfect what a teammate called “crafty and shifty” moves and puts them into rhythmical combinations. There’s flair and style, all leading to Hidalgo hitting the right note at the right time.

“I’ve often used the word electric,” said South Portland coach Kevin Millington. “He does two or three things every game that a fan goes, ‘Oh, wow. How did he make that?'”

Hidalgo has one more chance to impress on a big high school stage. South Portland (16-5) will play Windham (17-4) at 7:45 p.m. Saturday in the Class AA state championship game at Cross Insurance Arena. Windham is the defending champion. South Portland won state championships when Hidalgo was a freshman and sophomore.

What can fans expect from Hidalgo, a 5-foot-7 guard who routinely beats bigger players and scores at the rim?

“It’s unpredictable,” said senior guard Tom Maloji. “You never know what’s coming next.”

“I don’t think there’s many people who play anything like him,” said junior guard Gabe Jackson.

South Portland’s Manny Hidalgo celebrates his basket with four seconds left that gave the Red Riots a win over Windham in the regular season. The Red Riots and Eagles meet again in the Class AA final on Saturday. Ben McCanna/Portland Press Herald

Hidalgo is more than just a scorer. He averages a team-high 16.2 points per game. Overall, he’s a 48% shooter. Despite his modest height, he is most effective when he’s near the rim. He averages 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals. He’s a 91% free-throw shooter.

“I think Manny’s a very unique player,” said South Portland junior forward Darius Johnson.

Senior guard Carmine Soucy says of Hidalgo, “He’s a character. Always in a good mood. He’s just Manny, I guess.”

In the playoffs, Hidalgo has been on point as the Red Riots rolled to their fifth regional title in the nine years of Class AA, and third in the last four years. Hidalgo scored 17 points with eight assists against Gorham in the quarterfinals, 15 points in a semifinal rout of Scarborough, and then a game-high 22 points in the regional final against Bonny Eagle.

Part of the allure of Hidalgo is his physique. He carries a sturdy 165 pounds, which helps him when he bangs with players 10 to 12 or even 14 inches taller. He’s mastered old-school techniques like using the backboard, getting into a defender’s space, and employing hook shots to avoid having his shot blocked.

“I kind of just train as if there’s a 6-10 dude in front of me,” Hidalgo said.

In the regional final against Bonny Eagle, Hidalgo went right at 6-9 Brody Taylor and his 6-8 teammate, Max Bouchard. Repeatedly. He also blocked a shot by Taylor. In one five-possession sequence in the third quarter, he twice set up junior forward Darius Johnson for buckets with nifty passes in the paint, scored over Bouchard, scored again at the rim, and then settled down for a 12-footer that barely whispered the net.

“Some of them against Bonny Eagle, I thought he was going to get swatted. I was not expecting some of them to go in just because he’s 5-7 and they’re 6-9, but after two layups went in, I was like, this is his game, and after that I just told him to go,” said senior guard Carmine Soucy. “Sometimes you can see me on the court, just saying, ‘Manny go.’”

Teammates agree that Hidalgo’s shots leave them amazed, amused and often wondering, just how in the heck did that shot go in?

“How did he get that off? I get that sometimes,” Hidalgo said. “I’m not surprised myself that I make those because I work on those things. So it’s not a surprise.”

In South Portland’s 55-54 regular-season win at Windham, Hidalgo made such a shot, hitting the winner with four seconds to play. He drove past Conor Janvrin’s tight defense, veered to an opening to get more air space, and floated a 10-footer over Janvrin’s 6-4 brother, Colin.

When he was asked how he got past Windham’s determined defense to get to a spot where he could shoot, Hidalgo said, “I’m just Manny. I just do it.”

Portland’s Lucas LeGage, left, South Portland’s Manny Hidalgo, center, and Gabe Jackson chase a loose ball earlier this season. Hidalgo averages 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

As a sophomore, Hidalgo began to get key minutes off the bench in South Portland’s run to a second straight state championship. Last season, Hidalgo stepped into the role of being South Portland’s go-to scorer, averaging 17.8 points a game for a team that was 9-9 in the regular season and lost a quarterfinal playoff game at home.

This season, Hidalgo has cut down on turnovers and has become better at facilitating others. That’s made South Portland a better team. So far in the playoffs, Soucy was the leading scorer against Gorham, Jackson led the way in the regional semifinal against Scarborough, and Johnson scored 14 against both Scarborough and Bonny Eagle.

“We started to get good when Manny was scoring his 15, 17 points a game, but also throwing five or six assists out there and not turning it over,” coach Kevin Millington said.

Millington said there is a balance, though. He can’t ask Hidalgo to play it too safe. There’s times when he has to riff.

“If you say, ‘Hey we can’t turn the ball over,’ then you’re taking away Manny,” Millington said. “I’m going to live with a couple of Manny being Mannys during the game. His shots are so creative that they really do energize your team.”