Anyone who labors under the misconception that Lynn really is a “City of Sin” should take a look at what happened in the closing seconds of Saturday night’s boys basketball game at English High.The Bulldogs were playing Lowell in the MIAA Division 1 North quarterfinals, and with 35.5 seconds left, English led by 10 after senior Justin Young made one of two free throws for a 74-64 margin that ended up being the final score. But what happened off the court at that point was as momentous as what was happening on it.During that time, Lowell senior captain Nate Simpson was taken out of the game by coach Scott Boyle, ending Simpson’s high school playing career. Simpson had been the main source of frustration for English during the second half. In one memorable stretch, he:-Made two foul shots;-Grabbed a defensive rebound;-Watched teammate Steve Wahome sink one of two freebies, then rebounded and laid in Wahome’s miss of the second shot, and;-Got fouled on the play, connecting on the free throw to turn what had been a 19-point English lead into an 11-point ballgame (67-56) with 2:26 left.Now Simpson was leaving, and as the Lowell Sun marveled, “(even) fans who had been riding him all game offered applause.””I thought that was class,” English coach Buzzy Barton said. “The English crowd was excellent. Our crowd is fantastic.”Granted, Bulldog fans were in a position to be gracious; their team was less than a minute away from the next round. And granted, in past years there have been crowd members who weren’t so polite; athletic director Gary Molea said he remembered games where the school had to ask people to leave or get the police involved. But the classiness when Simpson left still merits its own applause – especially considering the low esteem certain people have of Lynn in general.Demeaning Lynn has become a state pastime. The city’s detractors can echo ex-Marblehead state representative Doug Petersen and snicker that Lynn produces no captains of industry. Or they can emulate some of the folks who comment on Itemlive.com and – putting a modern-day spin on Shakespeare – divide every individual arrested in Lynn into a thousand other imaginary evildoers, transforming isolated instances of crime into a 21st-century Dodge City. And if anyone’s feeling particularly imaginative, they can dredge up the old “City of Sin” anthem.Those who harbor such sentiments might have been surprised to see the English crowd recognize an opposing player who did his best to frustrate the home team. The fans’ hospitality is even more astonishing in light of the recent trend of unsportsmanlike spectators at other venues. Last February, two alleged violent incidents occurred at Graf Rink in Newburyport: The parent of a Gloucester High hockey player was charged with assault and battery and disturbing the peace for allegedly slapping a 14-year-old boy across the face, and two more hockey dads – the parents of high school players from Winthrop and Revere, respectively – were summonsed for assault and battery after an alleged assault. The pros are no better. “Most NFL stadiums now post telephone numbers for fans to send text messages to summon security personnel,” the New York Times reported in January, calling the move “a new technique to correct what (the NFL) decided was an intolerable increase in abusive behavior.”So, for at least one impressive moment on Saturday, Lynn fans showed their sportsmanship and proved their doubters wrong. Lynn English, and the City of Lynn in general, deserve congratulations not only for the win on the court, but also for the positive example set in the stands.Rich Tenorio is an Item sports copy editor.