RENO -- For the fourth -- and most important time -- this season, the Winnemucca Lowry and Yerington girls' basketball teams will collide.

At 2:20 p.m. Friday in the Lawlor Events Center on the University of Nevada campus here, the Buckaroos, 14-14, and Lions, 27-5, will battle. This time, it's in the Nevada Class 3-A State semifinals.

During the Northern 3-A League season, the teams split, Yerington prevailing 66-59 at Lowry and the Buckaroos winning 65-63 on the Lions' court.

Last Friday, in the regional semifinals at Elko, Lowry, won 58-54, then downed Truckee, Calif., 31-26 for the regional title and the North's No. 1 seed for the state semifinals. Getting the No. 3 seed Saturday was Yerington, after a 47-35 win against Dayton.

Truckee, 13-14, will play Southern regional champion Pahrump Valley, 25-7, at 11 a.m. Friday in the Lawlor Center. The state championship game is at 3:20 p.m. Saturday at Lawlor.

Lowry, coached by Jack Smith, is led by 6-1 senior center Savannah Carlo, 5-7 junior guard Morgen Thacker and 5-3 junior guard Amaya Criswell. The starting five includes Skyler Estes, a 6-foot sophomore forward, and Lindsay Angus, a 5-8 senior guard.

Trina Kloeppel, a 5-10 senior forward, and Jordan Vetter, a 5-9 senior forward, have played quality minutes this season, according to the coach.

Smith told the Web site, nevprep.com, that his team "doesn't have any Division I or II players ... just five solid girls who have bought into what we're doing.

"I've got three who can handle the ball pretty well and we put a lot of pressure on people," said Smith. As for playing Yerington for a fourth time, Smith said, "It's really a matchup of contrasting styles.

"I'm sure the next game with them will be the same as the first three," said Smith. "It's going to come down to whoever happens to make the shots at the end."

Yerington has the dynamic duo at the posts -- 6-foot junior Karrie-Ann Quartz and 6-foot junior Kayla Lomorri -- with 5-7 senior guard Kiara Ross running the show for coach Dorsey Thom's Lions.

Quartz averaged 16.8 points per game, with Lommori at 13.6 ppg. Lommori is one of the top prep volleyall players in the nation, leading the Lions to the Nevada state 3-A title last fall in Las Vegas. The Lions defeated Pahrump Valley in the semifinals.

Yerington's roster includes 5-10 junior center Ashley Allen, 5-8 senior guard Ruby Kennison-Fox and 5-5 senior guard Heidi Emmi.

Said Smith of the fourth go-around with the Lions: "It's just a scrap with that team ... just a plain, behind-the-woodshed scrap because they are so strong and physical."

The game should be decided by which group plays best -- Yerington's big girls or Lowry's guards. "I think," Smith said, "our guards are a handful for them."