MILL CREEK — Some teams load up on nonleague cupcakes at the beginning of their season to let players gain confidence before the games really matter.

That wasn’t the case Thursday night when Jackson and Lake Stevens, the respective favorites to win the Wesco South and North divisions, opened their girls basketball seasons against each other.

Jackson, playing at home, led just about the whole way, but never completely broke free from a pesky Lake Stevens, topping the Vikings 58-50.

“It was a great start to the season to come away with a tough win,” Jackson forward Kristin Stoffel said.

Timberwolves guard Erin Feeney, a Western Washington recruit, was not the center of the Jackson attack as was the case a year ago when she led the team in scoring. Instead it was Stoffel with 18 points and junior Leigh-Ann Haataja with a game and career-... [More]