×
×
homepage logo

Imac Raiders ready to rumble on the road

By Chris Wristen - | Jan 19, 2005

Immaculata may be just a Class 2A school, but despite its small size it may be the most exciting team to watch in the Tonganoxie Invitational Tournament field.

The No. 1-ranked Raiders have lived up to the hype in the early going as they’ve blazed to a 4-0 start.

Oh yeah, and they also won the Tonganoxie Invitational title last year, blitzing past Tonganoxie, 60-40, with an explosive second half in the finals.

Immaculata, a 20-4 squad last season, returned a strong nucleus to this year’s squad. Danny McEvoy, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, has been the Raiders’ go-to player for the third year in a row. The All-State selection averaged 22.9 points and 11.2 rebounds as a junior and is matching those numbers again this season. McEvoy also was the Most Valuable Player at last year’s Tonganoxie Invitational.

Although McEvoy has received most of the spotlight, he has a strong supporting cast. Tim Supplee, David Beck and Kris Pike all average about 10 points per game, while Chase Day also is a proven offensive threat.

The Raiders have proven that they can win by blowout or by nail-biter, and they can play in high-scoring shootouts or slow-paced slugfests. Their 62-38 rout of Oskaloosa showed their ability to put a team away early, while their 85-81 victory over winless Bishop Ward on Jan. 7 and their 52-48 win against Santa Fe Trail on Dec. 17 showed their ability to grit out a victory.

Still, Immaculata enters the Tonganoxie Invitational without having played a supremely talented opponent yet. They would’ve received such a test Jan. 4 when they were slated to play Piper (6-1), but the contest was postponed until mid-February because of inclement weather. Thus, the Raiders may finally find out this week just how good they are.