After a fast start and a three game relapse, The Warrior cage crew seems back on the winning track as they demonstrated in their decisive win over Notre Dame last Saturday, Dec. 12. Scores of Maine West's first five games are: MW 59‑Willowbrook 52, MW 44‑Argo 48, MW 38‑East Leyden 40, MW 39‑Rockford West 56, and last Saturdays thriller was 63‑33 in favor of the Warriors.

Rockford West's Warriors were undoubtedly the toughest team the West cagers have yet faced. After knotting the score at the end of the first period, dropping four points behind at the half, and trailing by five at the third quarter mark, the Warriors seemed to lose all control and Rockford romped to a 17 point victory. Doug Schmidt, sidelined for much of the game as a result of a shin splints injury, was sorely needed to help big Bill Wegner under the backboards. Very few of the rebounds seemed to come West's way.

Scoring 20 points in the final frame, Rockford won going away as the Warriors could net only eight points. A basket and a free throw each by Bob Kunkel and George Verber scored all of Maine West's points of that disastrous fourth period.

Playing what was obviously their best game of the season, the Warriors walloped their near neighbors to the north, Notre Dame, by a 30 point margin. With every

member of the Maine West team clicking, the Dons were completely helpless to halt the blue and gold wave. After a low scoring first half which seems to be a custom of the Warriors-Maine West went on to pile up 56 points in the next three quarters to give them their highest scoring game of the year. The Warriors, hitting as never before, scored 17, 22, and 17 again in each of the next three quarters to eclipse their old mark of 59 against Willowbrook.

George Verber again took high scoring honors in the ND game by putting 19 points through the cords. Verber has not again approached his highest total of 27 in the opener at Willowbrook.

Losing three games straight, to Argo, East Leyden, and Rockford, the West team lacked that spark which made them stand out against Notre Dame. Dropping the Argo game by four points and the East Leyden contest by a last second desperation heave that swished through, the Warrior five seemed to lack that fourth quarter drive which would keep them ahead and stop their opponent from rallying. The Warriors were ahead five of the eight quarters of the Argo and East Leyden games. They trailed only once, 9‑4, behind East Leyden in the first quarter, in any game. They lost both games in the final period of play.

If the Warrior bucketmen can learn to sustain their drive into the fourth quarter, future foes will have to watch out.