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Uniontown's Dierre Jenkins drained a 3-pointer 20 seconds into the game, thereby spreading his hot hand like an airborne virus.

"I don't know what is about this team, when one person hits a shot everyone starts feeling it," senior forward Chris Jacobs.

A few minutes later, Terrance Vaughns followed with back-to-back 3-pointers to build an 11-3 lead before New Castle could break a sweat Wednesday night in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals at the Palumbo Center.

"It's like a disease, it spreads through everyone," Jacobs said. "Everyone just starts hitting their shots. I don't why."

The reason isn't a concern to the Red Raiders right now, just the results after torching New Castle, 65-47, in a rematch of the WPIAL championship game by hitting an astonishing 25 of 39 shots (64 percent) from the field. Jenkins led the way, scoring a game-high 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting.

"I thought the zone would disrupt them, but it didn't," New Castle coach John Sarandrea said. "They had been struggling before, but they didn't tonight."

Uniontown (30-1) will play Harrisburg, a 69-58 winner over McCaskey in the other semifinal, in the state championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey.

The Red Raiders will return to the site of a demoralizing loss in the 2000 finals, a 73-48 loss to Chester, when their five senior starters were sophomores.

"For myself, it's a very fresh memory and I don't want to remember it," said Vaughns, a senior guard who scored 12 points. "I want to remember winning. That is our mission, to go and win."

Uniontown, which will be aiming for its fifth state title, led 32-11 at halftime on 59 percent shooting. New Castle cut the lead to 14 twice in the second half but could get no closer.

"I could tell their attitude before the game," Uniontown coach Dave Shuck said of his players. "They knew what was at stake and came out and played basketball."

The Red Hurricanes (30-2) trailed Uniontown by 14 in the second half of the WPIAL title game but came back to take the lead in the final minutes before losing, 60-57.

"We actually got it to 14 points three minutes earlier than we did in the last game," Sarandrea said. "Who knows at that point?"

But Uniontown junior forward Brandon Duncan, who scored 10 points off the bench, answered with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 17.

"He was the difference-maker," Sarandrea said. "I don't think he missed a shot the whole night. He should probably should get some more playing time."

Duncan missed one of his four attempts, but it probably seemed like he was perfect as New Castle had no answer. In the second half, New Castle turned to a half-court trap, but it didn't work as it couldn't overcome its terrible start.

"We struggled and I give Uniontown's defense a lot of credit," Sarandrea said. "We got frustrated."

Uniontown built a 20-point lead in the first half by holding New Castle to 4 of 12 shooting and forcing nine turnovers. But despite the lead, Uniontown didn't let up in the second half after nearly blowing the WPIAL championship game.

"New Castle came back on us before and we knew they would try to make a run on us," Vaughns said.

But it didn't happen this time.

"I said from the beginning of the year, our goal was not just to win the section," Shuck said. "I was greedy. I wanted it all and that's still what I want."

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