Lakeland is back in the Passaic County boys' lacrosse county final again, but the Lancers' road to this year's championship game nearly ended against Wayne Hills in the semifinals.

Nicky Maher tied the game for Lakeland with just over a minute left in regulation, then scored the winning goal in the first overtime as the Lancers beat the Patriots, 6-5.

It's the third straight year that Lakeland has reached the county final. The second-seeded Lancers will go for back-to-back championships when they face fourth seed Wayne Valley in Saturday evening's final. The Indians upset DePaul in the other semifinal.

Maher ended up with three goals for Lakeland, all coming off assists from freshman Michael Wilson. Maher also had a pair of assists himself, and James Carroll scored twice for the Lancers. Goalie Conner Evans made five saves.

Wayne Hills got two goals apiece from Justin Diglio and James Bernard. The third-seeded Patriots led twice in the fourth quarter but could not hang on, falling to 8-6 on the season.

Lakeland has now won 13 consecutive games after a season-opening loss.

For sports video highlights of this Passaic County high school boys' lacrosse semifinal, click play in the box at left.