As the saying goes: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. For DeLaSalle star Tyseanna Johnson, it's what didn't kill her brother.

At the beginning of last season, Tyseanna's younger brother, Jarvis, suffered a heart attack during his own basketball practice.

That night, the hospital allowed more than 300 people to see Jarvis "because everyone really thought we were saying goodbye that night," said Islanders coach Faith Johnson-Patterson, who is also both Tyseanna and Jarvis' aunt. "Honestly, we thought he was dying that day he was in there."

Faith and Tyseanna went to the hospital as soon as they got the call, and Faith broke down when they arrived. Tyseanna grabbed her and told her they should go to practice.

"And I thought, where is she getting that strength from? My God," Johnson-Patterson said. "I just thought to myself, if that kid has this type of strength, then I have to. I'm an adult. She inspired and she encouraged me and gave me the strength to get through that."

Tyseanna missed six games last year to visit with her brother in the hospital.

"I wanted to stop [playing]," said Tyseanna, one of the top juniors in the state.

But she didn't quit. Instead, she dedicated her season to Jarvis. It culminated with an Islanders Class 3A state championship.

"That might actually be a difference-maker for her in terms of her career," Johnson-Patterson said after DeLaSalle's 91-61 victory over St. Paul Central on Saturday at the Tip-Off Classic in Hopkins.

At last year's Tip-Off Classic, Tyseanna turned in a brilliant performance after her brother suffered the heart attack. DeLaSalle beat Minnetonka 75-67 behind Tyseanna's 36 points and 15 rebounds. She dedicated that game, and her entire career, to Jarvis. She also wants to pursue acareer in the medical field as a result of his experience. Jarvis made a full recovery, and this season has made DeLaSalle's varsity team as a freshman.

"They're very close," said Johnson-Patterson, who watched her niece mature through the events of the last year.

Tyseanna leads the top-ranked Islanders with skill, tenacity and passion for the game. The dynamic forward has proven she can score from anywhere, including a half-court buzzer-beater during Saturday's victory. She can shoot the three, hit jumpers all around the floor, rebound and play vigorous defense.

"She just thinks naturally. I think she's got a gift to play this game," said Johnson-Patterson, who coached Tyseanna at Minneapolis North as an eighth-grader before both moving to DeLaSalle.

Tyseanna has picked up bits and pieces of the game from her two brothers, one of whom played college ball.

"She just battles. She absolutely leaves the floor on a consistent basis with nothing left," Johnson-Patterson said. "And the fact that she's my niece is just awesome."