Saint Mary Magdelene Completes State Championship Run as Coach & Son Achieve Walk Off Glory Together

This story is dedicated to the memory of

APEX, NORTH CAROLINA – The Saint Mary Magdelene Monarchs outlasted 23 other teams this past weekend in Charlotte to capture the 62^nd Annual Shamrock Tournament Flight 2 Championship with a thrilling 46-40 victory over their rival St. Michael.  The Monarchs were led by Mason Karras with 16 and Matthew McKee with 11 points.

For some, it was a win that they will never forget, and one last hurrah before starting the stretch run of their eighth-grade year.  For head coach Don McKee and son Matthew, it was the culmination of an odyssey that the elder began nearly 30 years ago, and 15 plus years ago at St. Mary Magdalene

Head Coach of the Monarchs Don McKee, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio has made North Carolina a home since moving there in 2008 and started coaching at StMM later that same year.  In his time there, McKee has accumulated 219 wins and 101 losses over 16 years with a 1-year break due to Covid cancelling the season. 5 TCSAC Titles (Triangle Catholic School Athletic Conference).  Winning on average 15 games per season.

All of this after nearly dying of Swine Flu in 2009, surviving on a ventilator until a miracle drug saved his life.  The Lord knew, he still had work to do, and an eventual son to raise with his beautiful and incredibly loyal wife Abbie.

Making matters even more special, was the fact that Matt McKee had one of the best 3-year varsity stretches in school history, if not, the best!  Matt McKee became the school’s all-time career in points at home vs Immaculata-Durham on 2.1.2024 when he passed Michaels Walsh’s record of 566 set in 2015.  Matt finished his StMM career with 652 points.

Matt also broke Walsh’s record in points in a season and finishes with 355 points for the 2023-2024 season.

Matt also ends his STMM career as the all-time leader in assists (156) & 3-pointers (72) as he is now off to St. Eds in the fall.

Little Matthew is not so little anymore as he is at the 6-foot mark.  However, he grew up on the sidelines watching his father Don where Matt became obsessed with the game.  It was his goal to bring a title to the school, and he did so!

I spoke with Coach McKee after the game about what this win meant to him as coach, but also the program in general, “  Several times in my early years at StMM we came so close. We played in the Final Four 6 of 7 seasons my first 8 years. After 2016 we kind of went through a drought and struggled to get past the first two rounds.  After last season’s game’s winning shot that was waived off by Matt in the opening round, I started feeling the pressure and new my time at the school was winding down.

Becoming only the second coach in Catholic Middle School for the state of NC to reach 200 wins was special. To do it with my son on the team was a great feeling. Winning a Shamrock Championship with my son, against my good friend, rival, in my final game at StMM was a something you only dream of. Leaving the StMM program in great standing with some studs returning next season is a great feeling.

From Matts composure on the court and clutch performance to Mason demanding respect and controlling the timeouts and pregame with leadership from the team. These two, showed maturity and toughness throughout the season and last weekend. Matt was on a mission and Mason just amped up his athletic ability at key times this weekend.

My heart will always be a Monarch!  MONARCH NATION……THIS IS FOR YOU! “

McKee went on to explain the grind of the long weekend, “It is a grind 24 teams with play in games etc.  We played 5 games starting Friday evening and finishing with a championship Sunday afternoon.  When you show trust in your teammates in the most difficult situations, it will give you the mindset & toughness to battle adversity at all aspects in life. This group who is one of the tightest groups of friends I know, battled and loved each other to the end. They never let one get down for long.”

The fact that this win came against a longtime rival and friend, wasn’t lost on McKee, “Bert and I have been close friends and do so many similar things since coaching together in 2013-2014. We work out together in season and have faced each other 22 times since 2014-2015.  StMM has won 14 of them including the last 6. We teach Brotherhood to both programs. So much crossover with these two schools. In fact, one season years ago, Cardinal Gibbons varsity basketball has 11 players combined from our programs. Regardless of what type of season the other is having, each game is always a battle.  It’s a true rivalry.”

But, it is a rivalry that will go on with McKee and his son Matthew, as they along with Mother / Wife Abbie, are headed back to the shores of Northeast Ohio so Matthew can attend St. Ed’s in the fall.  This too, wasn’t lost on Don in the closing moments of this weekend, “I tried to hang onto my departure as long into this season as possible. It started to leak around Christmas when my son wanted strongly to attend St. Edward HS in Lakewood Ohio. When Abbie, Matt and myself spent 2 hours over break touring and asking questions, we felt comfortable.  St. Edward felt like home. It felt like a place Matt could shine and soar over the next 4 years. The rich tradition of education and athletics with amazing teachers and coaches was a no brainer.  Being able to return home after 18 years away was a bonus for our family. Matt has given us a reason to return to Northeast Ohio.”

St. Michaels started hot as Tucker Toland hit two 3 pointers in the first 90 seconds of the game while St. Mary Magdalene played nervous early on. Mason Karras who was named the Final Fours MVP got the Monarchs on the board with a jumper but the offense struggled the first 7 minutes of the game. St. Michaels last basket of Quarter 1 came with 2-minutes to go in the Quarter.  StMM trailed 11-2 after one quarter of play.

The first two minutes of quarter two started off slow. Finally, Matt McKee nailed a jumper from the top of the key and after a quick stop he scored again with a drive splitting two defenders for another basket.  Suddenly, the game stood at 11-6. St. Michaels turned the ball over into the hands of Asher Hamstra who went end to end for the bucket as the Monarchs quickly closed the gap to 11-8.

StMM after switching to a zone put the clamps down on defense and forced a quick one and done. McKee pushed the ball up court and found Karras wide open on a backdoor cut for an easy layup. With 3 and half minutes left in the half, The Angels lead was cut to 1 and lead 11-10. After a St. Michael timeout, Monarchs forced another uneven shot, McKee snagged the ball off the backboard and quickly found Dominic Huss for the go-ahead basket and the crowd came alive. 12-11 and the Monarchs first lead of the finals. St. Michaels Cole Craig hits a corner 3 with 70 seconds left to finally give the Angels their first and only basket of the quarter. The basket ended an 11-minute dry spell for the Angels. St. Michael took a 14-12 lead into halftime. Monarchs who had a knack for averaging 25 points or more by halftime found themselves in a defensive battle.

Karras opened up the second half with a nice baseline cut and dish from McKee seconds into the half. After a quick stop on the defensive end, JP Portland knocked down a triple after a quick exchange from Karras giving the Monarchs the lead 17-14 one minute into the second half. Karras after a strong rebound got the put back for a 19-14 lead midway through quarter 3. After another missed Angels shot, McKee found Karras again for a give and go slash to the basket for the lay-up in traffic. The Monarchs quickly had extended the lead 21-14.

Wiley Singer ended the St. Michaels drought with a long 3-pointer with just over 3 minutes left in Q3. St. Michaels fought back to end the quarter on a 7-2 run and took a 24-23 lead into the final Quarter.

After a flurry of back-and-forth baskets in what seemed like the 12^th round of a heavyweight fight, McKee landed a pull up 3-pointer to extend the Monarchs lead to 39-33 with 2 minutes left in this classic championship game.

Two legendary coaches going toe to toe in a chess match. Last time McKee & St. Michaels Coach Bert Scott guided a team in the Shamrock Finals was together at StMM in 2014. Along with legendary assistant coach Tom Milmoe now on Scotts staff, these three guided StMM to a strong game but came up short against current S.Carolina star BJ Mack and Holy Trinity out of Charlotte.

With two minutes left, Ford Loyd scored for the Angels but McKee quickly knocked down his signature mid-range jumper to keep the game at a two-possession advantage for the Monarchs. With 90 seconds left, St. Michaels threw the ball away. Like they have all tournament, the one two punches of McKee to Karras struck again off a screen for an easy drive & finish. It was then 43-35 Monarchs as they extended the lead with 60 seconds and the Monarchs are starting to exhale.

After a St. Michael’s basket, they quickly sent McKee to the line where he hit the front end of the foul shots and extended the lead to 44-38. St. Michaels came up short on the next possession and fouled McKee to stop the clock with 20 seconds to go. Monarch Nation could taste victory at this point. While Matt hit only the front end of the 2 shots, it was enough as the Monarchs led 45-37 and the celebration of the school’s first State Title 46-40.

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