MOORE — Blake Bassham just kept fighting. The Norman North sophomore was already at a disadvantage, forced to wrestle in a higher weight class than usual, not to mention competing with a broken nose, but he still found himself tied 1-1 with Westmoore senior Raul Ruiz as the clocked ticked down on the match.
Just when it looked like the match was destined to go into overtime Bassham made a diving move at Ruiz, perhaps catching him unaware, to score a takedown and go up 3-1 for the victory as the buzzer sounded.
“He was a little timid to get in there and mix it up because he didn’t want to take a hit on his nose, but he wrestled a smart match,” coach Jay Gibson said of Bassham. “He kept fighting and was able to do what he wanted to do.”
While North lost Thursday’s dual to Westmoore 46-21, Bassham was just one of many bright spots for the Timberwolves, who led the dual until they were forced to forfeit several matches because they didn’t have any wrestlers at the right weight. Besides Bassham, freshman Jake Thornton defeated Andrew Hoang at 106 pounds after losing to him earlier in the year. And sophomore Kevin Reamey had the match of the night in a comeback victory over Nathan Toft at 138 pounds.
Reamey fell behind 7-3, but a series of penalties against Toft pulled the match to a tie as time expired in regulation. In overtime, Reamey took just 20 seconds to capitalize on the momentum and score a winning takedown to complete the upset.
“You can see that we’re getting better,” Gibson said. “To an outsider, maybe it doesn’t look impressive. But knowing where we were and how far we’ve come, the kids have to feel good about themselves.”
Even in a loss, the strong showing by the T-Wolves against Westmoore capped a strong late-season run by the squad. North faced Enid, Putnam City West and Midwest City in a four-way dual last week and came away with its first three victories of the season, including a one-point victory over the Bombers.
The recent string of success has underscored the message Gibson has been preaching to his team all season long, one that the T-Wolves lived up against the Jaguars.
“I tell them they’ve just got to keep battling and battling and good things will happen,” he said. “It’s hard when you’re losing, but good things come to those who keep fighting, whether it’s today or later down the road.”
And Gibson likes the battle he’s seen so far from his young team.
“They’re working hard and keep getting better,” he said. “If they keep it up they’re going to have a chance to make a name for themselves.”
Corbin Hosler 366-3528 chosler@normantranscript.com
