ISL Playoffs: (1) Belmont Hill 13, (8) Thayer 11 – B-Hill punches ticket to semis thanks to strong 2nd half defense

BELMONT - Defense still wins championships, or at least, it helped Belmont Hill get one step closer to a title on Wednesday. The Sextants' defense and goalie James Mullowney held Thayer to just three second half goals after a back-and-forth first half and got a big final man down stand in the waning moments to preserve a 13-11 win in the ISL quarterfinals. Ben DiBattista and Will Stewart each scored four goals for BH while Nate Austin-Johnstone had a hat trick for Thayer. Mullowney finished with nine saves while Garr Long was outstanding with 12 stops. Belmont Hill (15-1) will now host Roxbury Latin on Saturday with a berth in the ISL championship on Sunday on the line. Thayer wraps