It all comes down to the last week of regular season play for the men’s basketball team.

In order to guarantee a spot in the Heart of America Athletic Conference postseason tournament, Baker must win one of its last two regular season games.

For senior Bret Shaw, that’s all he wants.

“I just want to get into the tournament and anything after that is great,” Shaw said. “That goes for everyone on the team. We want to see where we can go once we get in.”

Shaw said no current Baker player has made it to the postseason tournament.

As of Wednesday, Baker was tied with Missouri Valley and Benedictine colleges for seventh place in the standings, one game behind Avila University, which sits in sixth place.

The last two games of the season gained even more importance after the Wildcats dropped a home game 77-63 Saturday against Missouri Valley in Collins Center.

After an early lead, sparked by a high-intensity two-three zone by the Wildcats, the Vikings came back to lead 28-22 going into the half.

“We led early 12-1, and our zone gave them problems, but we could not convert at the offensive end,” coach Rick Weaver said.

The Wildcats shot 42 percent from the field but only 23 percent from behind the arc.  Junior Malcolm Greer put up 16 points and pulled down six boards, while junior Brock Entner laid in 12 and dished out four assists.

Greer and Entner are both transfers, finishing their first season as Wildcats along with senior Justin Houser.

“I don’t think any of us expected to come in and become leaders on the team, especially because we were transfers,” Greer said. “I think once we saw the situation we were in, we just stepped into the role and became team leaders along with the other guys who have already been here.”

Greer leads the team in overall scoring, averaging 13 points a game.  Houser is right behind him with 12.

The Wildcats host Graceland University Saturday in Collins Center.  The seniors will be recognized before the game for their careers at <br/>Baker.Baker.
Baker.