Players leave court mid-game to confront bully of cheerleader

A group of middle-school basketball players walked off the court in the middle of a game in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when they heard someone in the stands bullying cheerleader Desiree Andrews, who has Down syndrome.

"One of the kids stepped up and said, 'Don't mess with her,'" recalled Brandon Morris, the boys' seventh-grade coach at Lincoln Middle School.

Eighth-graders Chase Vasquez, Miles Rodriguez, and Scooter Terrien confronted the heckler. "We were mad; we didn't like that," Rodriguez told the Kenosha News. "We asked our sports director to talk to the people and tell them not to make fun of her."

Andrews called the gesture "sweet, kind, awesome, amazing." Terrien put it simply: "It's not fair when other people get treated wrong because we're all the same. We're all created the same."

Desiree wasn't just tolerated by the team — she was family. The starting lineup introductions always included her, the gym had been nicknamed "D's House" in her honor, and students wore T-shirts celebrating her place on the team. "They have really stepped up, almost like they are big brothers to her," said coach David Tolefree. "It's good to see."

Her father, Cliff Andrews, said her cheerleading dream came from TV: "They have a character with Down syndrome who is a cheerleader. And she said, 'If she can be a cheerleader, I can be a cheerleader.'" Cheer coach Laura Stone added: "She has been very special to us."

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Based on reporting by the Kenosha News, TMJ4, and Fox News, March 2015.