Medina's McKee, Highland's McCormick are really McGood

Kendall McCormick and Sarah McKee have been so McGood for so McLong, it's McScary. Highland's McCormick, a 5-foot-8 point guard capable of defending post players, and Medina's McKee, a 6-1 forward who plays every position on the floor, are four-year starters, 1,000-point scorers, Division II college basketball scholarship recipients and even former middle school AAU teammates. Tonight, in what will be the final high school game for one of them, the two best players in Medina County will be opponents when the third-seeded Hornets (18-5) host the fourth-seeded Bees (18-6) in a Division I, Northeast 4 District championship. "It's a big motivator because no one wants to see their season end," McCormick said Thursday. "We play every game like it could be our last and leave it all out on the floor. "It will come down to heart and hustle and how bad you want it. Both teams are really talented. We both know what each other does. It will come down to who wants it more." The Bees, who have a 73-26 record and two Greater Cleveland Conference co-championships in McKee's four-year career, won a district title two years ago. The Hornets, who have a 60-32 mark in McCormick's four years, haven't captured a district crown since 1992. "It's definitely been on my mind," McKee said of the end of her high school career, "but I try to focus on the game ahead and what I can bring to help the team win. "Defense is definitely going to be a key, being able to stop their top scorers. We have to bring energy the entire time. Both teams are very good, so that energy could be the difference in the game." McCormick, a Hillsdale recruit who ranks 15th in county history with 1,212 points, and McKee, an Ashland signee who is 30th with 1,015 while ranking first in program history in free throws attempted, have been bringing it since they walked on the court as freshmen. McCormick is averaging 15.1 points and leads the Hornets in assists this season, while McKee, who sometimes plays point center for the Bees, is averaging 11.7 points and tops her team in rebounding and blocked shots. "(McCormick) is an awesome scorer, and she has been since she was younger," Medina coach Karen Kase said of the player who will be the focal point of her team's defense tonight. "She's only gotten better and more confident and comfortable. She's got a good team around her because they grew up playing together, just like our team." Highland coach James Madison returned the compliment when asked about the long-limbed, versatile McKee, who can alter a game without scoring a ton of points. "She's a phenomenal player," he said. "Ashland is getting a good one. She plays extremely hard. She's a tough matchup because she can guard multiple positions and play multiple positions on offense." THE McSTART McKee's Bees are 3-0 against McCormick's Hornets. Earlier this season, on Dec. 5, Medina beat Highland 51-40, with McKee scoring 19 points and McCormick putting up 15. When they were juniors, McKee had eight points as the Bees won 41-38 despite 12 points from McCormick. When they were sophomores, Medina won 51-39 even with McCormick outscoring McKee 21-3. Before they became opponents, however, they were middle school teammates for Hoop Guru, which was coached by McCormick's father, Bill. "She was a great teammate," McKee said. "She brings a lot onto the basketball court. She's a great player. Off the court, she's very nice and fun to hang out with." McCormick was equally complimentary of McKee, saying, "She's a great girl. She's super nice and really competitive. She's a role model for the kids at Medina, so we're similar in that way. We're both good leaders on our team. "She's really versatile and she does a lot for them. She can play any position and their offense runs through her. Just having her on the floor, she makes the defense cater to here." If it seems like McKee has been around the Medina program longer than four years, it's because she has been. While playing basketball for Claggett Middle School, she also served as the varsity team manager for two years. "She was very quiet and reserved, and she still is in some ways, but she listened in on huddles and tried to catch everything the coaches said," Kase said. "Even as a manager, she wanted to do a good job, no matter what that job was." McCormick was part of a ballyhooed class that was highly successful at the middle school level, but that group lost in the sectional semifinals in its first two years at the high school level and had not advanced past the district semifinals until this season. When she was a freshman, McCormick was one of three ninth-graders in the starting lineup and scored six points as the Hornets dropped their season opener 56-47 to Orrville. Ninety-one more varsity games later, she still remembers that contest, which was played at Rittman. "I was super nervous being a freshman starting varsity," she said. "I knew what people expected us to be because we had really good seasons in seventh and eighth grade." Highland finished 10-13 that season, with McCormick averaging 7.7 points. The Hornets went 13-9 her sophomore season, when Madison took over as coach from Andy Gopp and McCormick's average rose to 15.1. Her junior year Highland was 19-5 and she averaged 14.8 points. More than individual numbers — and now that winning a Suburban League American Conference title has passed her by — McCormick craves a district championship, which would be accomplished with a victory over McKee and the Bees. "It would mean a lot," she said. "We haven't beat them. A lot of people expect that to happen again because it's been the result every time we've played them, but that just gives us more motivation to beat them. "This is our last shot. We want to go out with a big bang." Thrust into the starting lineup as a freshman due to an injury to a senior, McKee scored 10 points in a 70-50 win at Ashland in the first of her 93 career games — she missed a pair this season while in quarantine because a family member had the coronavirus and four others as a junior due to a concussion — to date. McKee ended up averaging 8.7 points as a ninth-grader and the Bees went 15-10. As a sophomore, she averaged 10.0 as Medina reached the regional semifinals and finished 23-3. Last season she averaged 13.9 as the Bees finished 17-7 and won the first of two straight GCC titles. In the six games McKee has missed over her career, Medina is 2-4. "She's always led by example in terms of setting the pace in practice or being early," Kase said. "That has rubbed off on people. She's never going to be the loudest person in the room, but she knows what to do and she does the right thing. She's very, very smart." THE McFINISH As their storied high school playing careers near an end, McCormick and McKee have posted equally impressive numbers off the court. McCormick carries a 4.1 grade-point average, scored a 28 on the ACT and plans on majoring in exercise science at Hillsdale. McKee's GPA is 4.7, which ranks fifth in a senior class of 531 students. Like McCormick, she scored a 28 on the ACT and plans to major in biochemistry at Ashland, with the hope of going on to become a physician assistant. "It's an odd combination of both," McKee said when asked if her first varsity game seems like it occurred yesterday or a lifetime ago. "It feels like it's been a long time since then, but the four years definitely flew by. It's crazy to think these are the last two weeks of my high school (basketball) career." Kase, whose team captain ranks among the program's all-time leaders in points, rebounds, blocks and games played, takes comfort in knowing McKee's presence will be felt long after she graduates from Medina. "She's left her legacy and helped elevate our program to one of the elite teams in Northeast Ohio for four years now," the coach said. "And she did it the right way. She's been a good player and able to play five positions since she was 15 years old. The way she carries herself and goes about it makes it even more special." McCormick, a team captain who ranks among Highland's career leaders in points, assists, steals and games played, has left a similar mark on the Hornets program. "She's been the face of the program since she was a freshman on varsity," Madison said. "She's been our team leader and she's carried us during the good and bad times. She's improved every year. She does everything for us, whether it's scoring or passing or breaking the press or rebounding, and she's capable of guarding a lot of positions because she's quick and strong. "The biggest thing is she never takes a play off. That example has worn off on everybody in the program. She's hopefully started a trend where we can continue to be successful." Contact Rick McNoland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.