A month after insults, hoops fans tone it down

With seconds left in the third quarter, Upper Darby pulled within 2 points of Lower Merion last night with a shot from 16-year-old Brandon Hashim.

It was then that the most antagonistic chant of the night erupted from the stands.

"He's a sophomore!" yelled a crowd of about 30 Upper Darby High School students who came to cheer on the visiting Royals.

The last time these two Central League varsity basketball teams met, in December, wasn't as amiable.

Then, the usually playful mockery between rival cheering sections took an ugly turn when several Upper Darby students yelled anti-Semitic chants in the final minutes of the game.

Last night, as Lower Merion prevailed, 53-43, students kept to the classics: "Defense!" "Let's go, Aces!" "Let's go, Royals!" Even in the fourth quarter, when two players almost fought after a foul, the crowd filling about two-thirds of Lower Merion's Bala Cynwyd Middle School stayed mostly quiet.

Both sides had been warned to keep it positive.

Kyle Peters, 17, a senior at Lower Merion, said the Dawg Pound, as the cheering section is known, had been told to focus on cheering for Lower Merion instead of against the team's opponents.

"Both sides are at fault, and both sides have taken responsibility for their actions," he said last night.

"We're very passionate fans, but we need to be responsible enough to say the right things."

Upper Darby administrators, using social-networking sites, identified and disciplined the students involved in last month's incident, said Upper Darby principal Christopher Dormer.

Lower Merion school officials were satisfied with Upper Darby's response, said Douglas Young, Lower Merion district spokesman.

Upper Darby school officials also worked with Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood to produce a video that discussed how police can use social-networking sites, as well as e-mail and text messaging, to prosecute crimes.

Since that Dec. 15 game, Upper Darby officials have tried to sort out what went wrong. The anti-Semitic chants seemed out of character; Upper Darby has won several sportsmanship awards in the Central League.

Dormer said yesterday that since the incident, the school also had asked students to keep the cheers positive. "I think they're trying to figure out in terms of what they can and cannot do right now," Dormer said.

Charles Howard, 18, a senior at Upper Darby, said at last night's game: "I mean, we're teenagers, so you have to learn from it. Our decision was all about keeping it positive."

School officials were wary of trying to limit student speech. Hate speech is clearly off the table, but what about teasing in general? A little razzing between opponents - especially among teenagers - is expected.

But where to draw the line? Parents and students who attended the earlier game said the teasing started innocently enough - Upper Darby students shouted "Merry Christmas," and Lower Merion yelled back "Happy Hanukkah."

The insults started soon afterward, parents and students who attended the game said. Lower Merion fans chanted "SAT scores!" and displayed a sign that read, "Lower Merion vs. Upper Dirty," witnesses said.

Several Lower Merion parents seated near the opposing team's student section recalled hearing the chant "Start the ovens."

Myron McNeely, 51, whose son Myron Jr., 17, plays for Upper Darby, said that although last night's game was close much of the time, the chants were subdued. "I don't hear nothing crazy coming from this side or that side," he said. "It's much more civil."

Said Dormer, the Upper Darby principal: "I'm really happy with our fans that are here.

"It's about having fun."