JACKSON — There was nothing like twin power for Hinds AHS on Friday.

Derek Burks made both ends of a one-and-one with 12.3 seconds left, and twin brother Erik Burks scored 13 points in the second half to give Hinds a thrilling 50-48 victory over West Bolivar in the boys’ Class 2A championship game at the Mississippi Coliseum.

“Thank God for the twins,” an ecstatic coach Keith Williams said after the physically draining game. “This was championship basketball. It wasn’t easy, but I thought we were the better team down the stretch.”

The state title is the War Dawgs’ second in school history. The last was in 2001.

Hinds (32-2) will take its gold ball home to Utica and prepare for next week’s Grand Slam Tournament. It’ll face Class 1A champ Coldwater next Thursday at the Mississippi Coliseum.

West Bolivar (24-7) used its size advantage to make things tough for the War Dawgs in the lane. Junior guard Keeslee Stewart, the War Dawg’s leading scorer, had a particularly hard day, making just 3 of 19 shots and finishing with seven points — 18 below his average.

“That was the toughest defensive team we’ve seen,” Stewart said. “It was hard out there.”

Taking Stewart out was West Bolivar’s plan.

“Defense is what we do because we’re not a good shooting team. It got us back in it,” West Bolivar coach Willie Earl Thomas said. The Eagles were just 21-of-64 shooting for the game.

The Eagles, however, could not solve the twins, Erik and Derek.

Erik Burks finished with a game-high 19 points, including 13 in the second half, to go with eight rebounds and four assists and was named the tournament’s MVP. Derek Burks had 12 points and joined his twin and Stewart on the all-tournament team.

“We’ve been through a lot, but I think that has made us stronger together,” Erik Burks said. The twins lost their mother to cancer 10 years ago. Their father was too ill to attend the final, but did watch it on TV.

Derek Burks said he felt calm when he went to the line with 12.3 seconds left and the War Dawgs guarding a slim 48-46 lead.

“Since the 10th grade I’ve dreamed about making big shots,” Derek said. “I just tried to take my time, relax, I’ve got 10 seconds, and I made them.”

Burks’ two makes made it a two-possession game at 50-46.

The Eagles’ Mack Foster scored on a layup with 2.3 seconds to go, but they did not have a timeout. Hinds quickly inbounded and the game ended.

“This was a dream come true,” Stewart said.

Hinds trailed only once in the game, that coming late in the second quarter, but its biggest lead was just seven after Derek Burks hit a pair of free throws with 5:40 left in the game to make it 42-35.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com.