Orange Coast College women's basketball coach Mike Thornton had to compete against Fullerton juggernaut in the Orange Empire Conference this season.

He's also had to face Ventura in the state tournament, having snapped the Pirates' streak of seven straight state final appearances with a semifinal win in 2003.

We asked him to break down the matchup ahead of Sunday's state final:

"They probably wouldn't admit this, but Fullerton was probably rooting for San Francisco today.

"I think that the defense that Ventura plays is the one that Fullerton has the most difficulty with. Shooting from the perimeter is not their strength, so they're going to need to make some shots.

"Fullerton is going to have to use its athleticism and get to the basket. Fullerton will probably try to speed the game up and get some transition going.

(Ventura point guard Amanda) Padilla is the key, if she can shoot it. No. 20 (Fullerton guard Ashley Jsames) is their top perimeter defender. If that's the matchup that occurs, then it's a key one."

Carlyle Carter, the executive director of the California Community College's Commission on Athletics, seems pretty pleased with Cal Lutheran as a venue for its basketball championships.

"It's everything we need to have," Carter said Saturday. "Everything that we want our student athletes to experience."

And Sunday's title game, with the legions of Ventura fans and Fullerton's pep band, promise to provide the "championship atmosphere" Carter was talking about last week.

"It will be just like the games you see on TV," said Carter.

"For that kind of event at the two-year level, we really can't ask for anything more."

The California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association voted Saturday to support future championships in the CLU-like, gymnasium environment, according to several coaches.

"That's what we've decided as a body," said Orange Coast coach Mike Thornton. "We just need a site like this and one like this in Northern California.

"This atmophere is so great. This is the type of experience that makes the players feel like they're playing for something."