The Fort Zumwalt West sophomore forward received a lifetime worth of bumps, bruises and elbows from older sister, Lillie, in the driveway of their home.

"She taught me how to be tough, how to fight for every ball," Heidi said.

Those heated sibling one-on-one battles while growing up are starting to pay off.

Pickett scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds Tuesday to lead the Jaguars to a 42-33 win over Francis Howell in a GAC South girls basketball battle in southern Weldon Spring.

The 6-footer took charge down the stretch in a big way.

Pickett kick-started a game-deciding 10-0 run at the outset of the fourth quarter with a huge 3-pointer. She then sank seven foul shots in a row over the final 2 minutes and 48 seconds to seal the victory.

Zumwalt West (11-5 overall, 1-1 GAC South) won for the ninth time in the last 11 games and also recorded its fifth successive win over Howell (5-8, 2-1).

Pickett turned into the bully, instead of the bullied, during the fourth quarter.

And she gave all the credit to Lillie, who averaged 10.3 points per game for Jaguars as a senior before graduating in 2020.

"My sister played really aggressively and I kind of took off from that," Pickett said.

Lillie is now studying on Norway, but she undoubtedly would be proud of her little sister.

"The style I play, it's all because of her," Heidi said.

Pickett starts every other game for the Jaguars. Coach Chad Towers likes to switch his lineup around to get as many players involved as possible.

"She gets as many minutes as our starters," Towers said. "She's earned it."

Pickett came into the contest averaging seven points and 5.8 rebounds. She recorded her second double-double of the campaign after a 10-point, 11-rebound effort in a 52-29 win over Holt on Dec. 9.

Her ability to take command over the final eight minutes changed the entire complexion of the game.

"She's tough out there," Zumwalt West junior Lexi Fenstermacher said. "And we love it."

Fenstermacher added 10 points to the winning attack. Senior Maddie Towers chipped in with a big 3-pointer. Sophomores Madison Washington and Makenna Jennings also hit huge shots in the second half.

But the night belonged to Pickett, who broke her previous career high of 14 points set Jan. 7 against Parkway Central.

The Jaguars struggled offensive through the first three quarters and trailed 26-24 just seconds into the final stanza.

But Pickett came to the rescue with a steal and driving layup to tie the game. She followed that up with the biggest blow of the night — a 3-pointer that put her team ahead to stay 29-26.

Jennings chipped in with a conventional 3-point play and Maddie Towers converted on a driving layup set up by a pass deflection from Pickett at the other end.

That 10-point outburst gave the Jaguars a 34-26 lead. Howell never got closer than to within six points the rest of the way.

"It all started with Heidi's three (pointer) and we just fed off of that," Fenstermacher said. "We started rebounding offensively and getting put-backs. Then we got steals, fast breaks and wide open layups."

Chad Towers was pleased with the way his young club responded down the stretch.

"All year our girls haven't panicked," he said. "We struggle at times to put the ball in the basket. But they're going to play hard for 32 minutes."

Howell was coming off an impressive 48-42 win over Howell Central on Jan. 10.

The Vikings stayed close behind Reagan Celeste, who finished with a team-high 10 points. But they managed just two baskets in the fourth quarter, both came in the final 1:24 after the contest had essentially been decided.

"Games like this, it's all about who goes on a run," Howell coach Scott Cleer said. "They went on a (10-0) run and we didn't."