By Brandon HENSLEY

The Crescenta Valley Falcons’ girls’ water polo team can wrap up an outright Pacific League championship today when it faces the Burroughs Indians at Burbank High School. The match starts at 5:30 p.m.

The Falcons are still on a roll, winning Tuesday’s game against Pasadena High in the semifinals of the Pacific League Tournament, 17-4. The win pushed CV’s record to 26-2 overall, 7-0 in the Pacific League. The Falcons are ranked No. 1 in CIF Division V.

“It’s been a fun season, but the real season starts [next week] in CIF,” said Coach Brent Danna.

Playoff seedings will be announced on Sunday, and if the Falcons win today, Danna said the team is expected to receive a first-round bye, and that its first playoff game would mostly likely be Saturday, Feb. 16. In that case, the Falcons would have to win three games to capture their Southern Section championship.

Danna said the keys to CV’s success so far are a combination of things.

“And then they’re tactically sound,” he said of his players. “They’re fundamentally sound. We work fundamentals every day, we go over tactics. We make mistakes, we analyze game film, we learn from it and we move on.”

CV’s previous matches last week included wins over La Serna 15-3, and a 7-4 win over potential playoff opponent Redlands East Valley. The match against REV was one of the more closely contested for the Falcons this season. Previous league scores included a 28-4 win over Pasadena, and the last time the Falcons played Burroughs, they won 17-4.

“Usually you don’t have this much of a lopsidedness, but that’s the way it’s been,” said Danna. “It’s one of those years.”

UPDATE: The Falcons defeated Burroughs on Thursday 14-1 to capture their fourth straight Pacific League championship. They finished the regular season 28-2, 8-0 in league and are favored to win the CIF Southern Section Division V title.

  Brandon Hensley, Jason BALLARD