Falcons

BOYS' BASKETBALL Crescenta Valley 57, Arcadia 45: Crescenta Valley overcame its first-quarter shooting struggles to earn a Pacific League win Friday night against rival Arcadia. The Falcons trailed, 13-6, after the first quarter before regrouping to build a 27-22 halftime advantage. “We came out so excited with all of the fans cheering and the guys were overly excited,” said Crescenta Valley Coach Shawn Zargarian, who received 18 points and 12 rebounds from Christian Misi to snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 16-4, 5-2 in league.

Don?t tell the Crescenta Valley boys? water polo team that it?s only summer. They were in midseason form ? on the first official weekend of summer, as they claimed the 2008 Falcon Water Polo Tournament title. After handily disposing of Westlake, 9-1, the amphibious Falcons won all six matches at the three-day tournament to claim the championship on Sunday afternoon. Crescenta Valley easily won five of its six wins, which included an 18-1 victory over Notre Dame in the opening match on Friday.

With the rest of the team gathered around the court cheering them on and Crescenta Valley High Coach Tom Gossard rooting and coaching with every point, the Falcons doubles team of Courtney Pietsch and Kay Lee was on center stage in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs. Despite the throng of support and an atmosphere normally reserved for a pivotal set, the match had long been decided, but it made no matter as Gossard congratulated his seniors with a grin and a hug. ?

GLENDALE — With one step in the repeat process now complete, the Crescenta Valley High girls’ golf team will look at its next phase. Crescenta Valley repeated as Pacific League champion Wednesday after getting fine efforts from several of its key players at Brookside Golf Course No. 2 in Pasadena. Sophomore Katie Park carded a one-over-par 72 to pace the Falcons (26-4). Teammate Christine Cho, who will attend Harvard University next year, fired a 74. The Falcons will have four players — Park, Cho, Sally Chun and Krizia Del Rosario — compete for the league individual championship.

Last season, as far as the Pacific League went, the Burroughs High girls? volleyball team was in a class of it?s own, going undefeated in 14 matches to capture it?s first title in the league. With more than half the Indians? starting lineup gone from the 2007 squad, Crescenta Valley came into Tuesday?s Pacific League matchup intent on showing that the gap between the two squads has closed. But it was Burroughs that played like a more experienced squad when it counted most on Tuesday, pulling out a 25-22, 25-16, 25-22 victory, and as long as the Falcons continue to shrink from pressure situations while the Indians rise to the occasion, it appears Burroughs will retain an edge in the matchup.

BASEBALL Crescenta Valley 13, Glendale 0 (five innings): Cole Currie (four innings pitched) and Chas Turansky combined on a two-hitter in Friday night's mercy-rule shortened Pacific League game at Stengel Field. The win, coupled with Arcadia's 5-2 loss to Pasadena Friday, allowed the Falcons (18-6, 10-1 in league) to leapfrog the Apaches (19-5, 10-2) for first place in league. Burroughs 13, Hoover 7: Senior outfielder Joey Yepez turned in a remarkable effort in finishing three for four with two homers, one being a grand slam, while driving in seven total runs in the Tornadoes' Pacific League home defeat Friday afternoon.

DOWNEY - With the heart and soul of its offense all but muted and its rock solid defense undermined by a pair of penalty-box slip-ups, the finals of the CIF Southern California Division I Regional Championships at Warren High in Downey on Saturday proved to be an uncharacteristic end to a program-defining season for the Crescenta Valley High boys' soccer team. Sixth-seeded Paramount had the right defensive game plan, and just enough offense, to deny the fifth-seeded Falcons in their bid to complete an unbeaten season and become the first team in area history to win both a CIF sectional and regional title in the same season, as the Pirates jumped out early and survived a late rally to win, 2-1, and claim their second regional crown in the last three years.

LA CRESCENTA — Scoring just 14 points in the first half of its Pacific League home opener against Muir on Wednesday was far from a great start for the Crescenta Valley High girls’ basketball team. Unfortunately for the Falcons, as far as offensive output was concerned, that would prove to be the high point. In the second half, Crescenta Valley continued to misfire on shots both open and well-defended, falling to the defending league champs, 47-26. Brittany Henderson (14 points)

LA CRESCENTA ? There couldn?t have been a better way for the Crescenta Valley High boys? basketball team to start off Wednesday?s CIF Southern Section Division II-AA wild-card matchup with visiting Los Altos. Senior Clay Sierra threw down a monster two-handed dunk off an alley-oop pass from Eric Strangis to open the contest, setting the tone for the rest of the night for the Falcons. Sierra poured in 18 points, Eric Strangis scored 17 points and Alan Bagatourian added 16, as Crescenta Valley held off a gritty effort from Los Altos to win, 59-51, and advance into Friday?