Crescenta Valley High girls’ golf claws back into Pacific League title chase Golf: Falcons avenge earlier loss to Apaches with one-point victory, while Burroughs takes third, La Cañada is fifth and Burbank is sixth.

LA CAÑADA — One of the better area girls’ golf rivalries added another thrilling chapter Tuesday afternoon.Crescenta Valley High, which split a league championship last season with Arcadia, positioned itself back in the Pacific League title chase with a 201-202 victory at the league’s second match at La Cañada Flintridge Country Club.“We respect Arcadia because they’re a very good team and they beat us the first time,” Falcons Coach Lee Pope said. “It was important to come back and win and the score was pretty close.”The victory avenged a 195-203 loss by the Falcons (9-1) to the Apaches (9-1) in the first league match Sept. 4 at Hansen Dam Golf Course.As for the rest of the squads involved, Burroughs (6-4) finished third with 229 points, while San Marino (3-7) and La Cañada (3-7) flip-flopped fourth and fifth place from last week with scores of 237 and 259, respectively. Burbank (0-10), which only fielded four players, rounded out the scoring with 291 points.Crescenta Valley was led by its strong one-two punch of three-time All-Area Golfer of the Year Jocelyn Chia and Andrea Han, who both shot a four-over-par 38. Audrey Chung was close behind for the Falcons with a 39.Yet, even with the prowess of all three top scorers, perhaps Tuesday’s success came on the shoulders of Falcons’ No. 4 and 5 golfers Gina Chung and Alice Yoon. Chung, who carded a 44 at Hansen Dam, shaved two strokes off her score Tuesday, as did Yoon, who finished with a 44 at La Cañada.“We always have a strong three, but our four, five and six golfers are sometimes up in the air,” Pope said. “When they do well, this team does well.”Chia began with four consecutive pars before suffering a critical double-bogey on the 362-yard par-four fifth hole. The hole was damaging, as Chia finished runner-up for a second straight league match, this time though to Arcadia’s Kayla Yn, who carded a 37. Yn’s teammate, Michelle Cheung, tied for second best with a 38.Previously, Chia finished second to Burbank’s Irene Maemura on Sept. 4, who finished with a three-under-par 34 at Hansen Dam.Tuesday’s follow-up proved difficult, as Maemura carded a 43.“It was a difficult day for everyone. We just didn’t shoot well,” Bulldogs Coach Branco Sevic said. “It was just one of those days.”Alexis Pouche carded a 55 for Burbank, while Kaitlin Brooks finished with a 60.Maybe no one enjoyed more of a bittersweet sentiment than did Indians senior Joany Gao, who tied with teammate Stephanie Adachi for the team lead with a 40.“I’ve never liked playing at La Cañada, so I’m sorta happy to not have to come back here,” Gao said. “The sad thing, though, is that this is my last time, this is my senior year and I love it.”Katrina Villareal carded a 42 for Burroughs, which received a 53 from Maddie Riggs and a 54 from Evyn Freedman.Fifth-place La Cañada did not enjoy the benefits of home-course advantage.“No one shot well for us. It’s been a tough first couple of weeks,” La Cañada Coach Rich Wheeler said. “The good news is that it is still early in the season.”Melissa Leo paced the Spartans with a 42, while Keilee Bessho carded a 43.The third league match is scheduled for Sept. 25 at Brookside Golf Club.