Basketball Standout Heads to College After Decorated High School Career, Years of Consistent Training
Grace Lyons rewrote the record book in the Rockford girls basketball program.
The recent high school graduate is the first Ram to ever score 1,000 career points making her the school’s all-time scoring leader, she has the school’s career steals record, career 3-point field goals made record, and single-season 3-point field goals made record.
On top of that, she helped Rockford win the school’s only state championship in girls basketball her junior season when she hit the game-winning shot to beat West Bloomfield in the title game.
It was a high school career to remember. When asked what she will remember most about the last 4 years, Grace responded:
“Probably just my teammates and being around the girls and when we had a good win, the locker room afterward and the feeling after we won the state championship, everything just like fell into place and it was just an amazing career and I loved every bit of it and I’m gonna miss it, but I’m ready for the next chapter too.”
THE EARLY DAYS
Grace has been training at PowerStrength since middle school when she tagged along with one of her AAU teammates, Cadence Dykstra, who now plays basketball at the University of Toledo.
Middle school-aged kids generally start in the ”Little Beast” program designed for athletes in grades 5 through 8 to cultivate hard work, coachability, and mental fortitude, while elevating athletic prowess. Grace progressed much more quickly than most, and jumped right into the high school time-slot from an early age.
“I really liked it,” Grace said about her early experiences at PSTS, “but it was a little intimidating because I was in 6th or 7th grade and I started doing it with the high schoolers. So I was a little nervous at first, but I’ve loved it ever since.”
TAILORED TRAINING
Every athlete who trains at PowerStrength has a customized program designed specifically for their abilities and goals. When Grace started she was focused on basketball and volleyball and saw an impact in her abilities.
“I think it’s the individualized plans that they do for you and your special needs that they contribute to and just really hone in and focus on so it’s kind of different from everything else I’ve been in. “It’s just more based on what you need to do and get better at.”
Grace began to focus solely on basketball by the time she was a sophomore in high school. With multiple years of training under her belt, she was ready to play varsity basketball at a big school that’s known for winning, from a young age.
“I think just being able to get faster, stronger, it obviously helps with any sport, I think them doing specific exercises to help you in your specific sport. I think that’s really what’s helped me and just kind of grow as an athlete.”
Each year Grace sees more ways that PowerStrength has raised her game.
“I think rebounding,” Grace said. “I’m pretty small to rebound, but this year that was kind of a big role for me on my team and I think you kind of just need to get in there get your body in there, and be stronger than some people, I think that really helped me out.”
SURROUNDED BY EXCELLENCE
In all her years of training at PowerStrength, Grace has been surrounded by countless high-level athletes who are serious about getting better. She has learned a great deal and it helped in her role on the Rockford girls basketball team where she has led from the front for several years.
“I think it gives you a good idea of how to be a good leader because all the people here are very good leaders and they teach us how to do certain things if we’re not doing it right,” Grace said. “It also just kind of makes you feel better as an athlete, it might be a hard workout and I might feel awful afterwards but once I get home and eat I feel so much better that I came in and did a workout. I think it just helps you overall just with your mental health and just helping you feel good the rest of the week and knowing that you got the workout in.”
The many years of hard work and dedication have helped Grace turn her dream of playing college basketball into a reality.
“I think it’s just a great atmosphere in here and it’s somewhere that you know people are going to work hard and want to get better so I think it’s kind of different from other things where maybe high school people aren’t as focused on their sport,” Grace said. “In here, you know you’re gonna get a good workout in and work hard and be around people who want to get better too.”
NEXT UP
Grace is headed to Big Rapids to play collegiately at Ferris State University this year. She is spending the summer training hard at PowerStrength to give herself every benefit and making sure she is physically prepared for the rigors of college basketball.
“I think it’ll help me a lot,” Grace said. “I’ve kind of got a little bit of an advantage on other girls coming from maybe smaller towns because I’ve had this opportunity to be doing this for so long. I think it won’t be too much of a setback getting stronger because I think I’m kind of already there with them.”
She will join a Bulldogs team that made a run to the Final Four last season and returns 4 players who averaged at least 17 minutes per game from that team.
“I’m just excited to get up there and meet the girls and become real teammates with them,” Grace said. “I know them but I feel like I’m not really close friends with them yet and they had a really good season last year so I’m hoping to continue that.”
GET STARTED AT POWERSTRENGTH
5th-12th grade athletes of all sports and abilities can sign up at PowerStrength – while spots remain. PowerStrength currently has 4 facilities in West Michigan – Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, and Plainfield – with a 5th facility in Holland coming in late fall 2024!
Multiple training sessions are offered throughout the day and into the evening during the summer, specific training times vary by location.
Visit https://powerstrengthpro.com/athletes to learn more or click below to schedule your assessment and get started.