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Preview of N.J. girls’ lacrosse finals

Her players still were on Cloud 9, but Shawnee girls' lacrosse coach Janae Zechman already was planning to get their feet on the ground.

Her players still were on Cloud 9, but Shawnee girls' lacrosse coach Janae Zechman already was planning to get their feet on the ground.

"We have to get back to the Shawnee routine," Zechman said. "We have to practice and prepare just like we always practice and prepare."

Zechman was speaking moments after Shawnee scored an upset for the ages Monday with a 7-6 victory over Moorestown in the South Jersey Group 3 championship game. Moorestown had won 228 games in a row against New Jersey opponents.

Now, Shawnee (20-1) needs to regroup for Thursday's Group 3 state championship game against Mendham (21-1) at 7 p.m. at Ridge High School.

"We definitely want to keep going," said Shawnee junior midfielder Kristin Kocher, who scored the winning goal against Moorestown with 12.6 seconds to play.

Cherokee (20-2) will play Ridgewood (19-1) in the Group 4 state championship game Thursday at 5 p.m. at Robbinsville High School.

"It's something that we're familiar with," said Cherokee coach Kate Maloney, whose team won the Group 4 state title in 2008. "North Jersey has very talented teams, so we're looking forward to a good game."

Thursday's winners will advance to Tuesday's Tournament of Champions semifinals.

Cherokee won the South Jersey Group 4 title with a 13-9 victory over Washington Township on Monday night.

"We won it two years ago, and we want to do it again," said Cherokee senior attack Kelsey Overbeck, who scored four goals against Washington Township.

Cherokee has won 14 in a row, including a 9-8 victory over Shawnee on April 29.

"Our defense has been the key," Maloney said.

Senior goalie Lindsay Barrie leads the Cherokee defense. The Chiefs have a balanced scoring attack led by junior Melissa Arthur (73 goals) as well as Overbeck, sophomore Michelle Gonzales, and juniors Lauren Karpovitch, Brittani Keys and Ashley Singer.

Ridgewood, which is No. 2 in the state in the Laxpower rankings, is the state's highest-scoring team, averaging 17.6 goals. The Maroons from Bergen County are led by Johns Hopkins-bound senior midfielder Samantha Cermack.

Shawnee junior goalie Alex Zaugra made 21 saves against Moorestown. The Renegades have a balanced attack led by sophomore Nicole Troost (71 goals) as well as senior Kristin Mutch and juniors Kocher, Karlee Dean, Becky Stiles and Alexis Newman.

Mendham, from Morris County, is led by Cornell-bound senior Jessie Smith.