It’s a game that has been circled on a lot of high school basketball fans’ calendars since it was announced last year.

It pits the defending Class 4A Washington state champion Federal Way Eagles against Portland’s Jefferson Democrats, the two-time defending Class 5A Oregon state title holders, in the marquee game of the 2010 King Holiday Hoopfest Monday at the University of Washington. The Federal Way-Jefferson game is slated for 6 p.m. in Seattle.

“They are good, man,” said Federal Way head coach Jerome Collins. “And it obviously starts with Terrence.”

The Terrence he is talking about is Jefferson’s very talented, 6-foot-9 All-American Terrence Jones. Last year, as a junior, Jones was Oregon’s Class 5A player of the year after averaging 24.6 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three blocked shots and three steals. He is putting up similar numbers this season for the Democrats and is listed as the 15th best player in the country by ESPN and has whittled his college choices down to Kentucky, Oklahoma, UCLA, Texas, Oregon, Washington and West Virginia.

“He is a 6-9 point guard and can play all five positions,” Collins said. “He can shoot the three and bring the ball up the floor. He can do everything and he’s a load. We are going to have to do something to contain him, because you can’t stop him.”

Jefferson brings a 9-2 record into the King Holiday Hoopfest. The Democrats’ losses came to Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, 62-52, whom the Eagles actually beat earlier this season at a tournament in Portland by one point, and Westview from Oregon, 70-59.

“There is going to be a lot on the line,” Collins said.

But Jones isn’t the only impressive talent from Jefferson. The Democrats also feature 5-11 guard Antoine Hosley and 6-5 shooting guard Terrence Ross.

“They have a lot of good personnel around him,” Collins said. “They have guys that can put the ball in the hole. They are loaded. For us to hang in there with them, we have to play well.”

The Federal Way-Jefferson game is one of seven that will be contested Monday at the Bank of America Arena at UW. The ninth-ranked Decatur Gators (8-3) will take on the Rainier Beach Vikings, the top-ranked 3A team in the state, at 4 p.m.

Other games include King’s vs. Vashon Island (9:30 a.m.), Kentwood girls vs. White River (11 a.m.), Skyline vs. Garfield (12:30 p.m.), Franklin vs. Grant (2:30 p.m.) and Bellevue vs. Enumclaw (7:30 p.m.).

“It’s just an honor to play in the MLK event honoring Dr. King,” Collins said. “We use it as a teaching tool for our kids.”

The Eagles bring in a perfect 11-0 record and have been the top-ranked team in the state the entire season. Federal Way is also getting plenty of national recognition, being ranked 22nd by USA Today and 30th by ESPN.

“No one wants to lose,” Collins said. “But there are some philosophies out there that say losing a game is good for you. It makes you focus more and takes some of the pressure off. I don’t really believe in that. I don’t like to lose.”

Federal Way features a pair of Division-I signees in 6-foot-6 Cole Dickerson and 6-0 Isiah Umipig. Dickerson, a University of San Francisco commit, is averaging 25 points a game and Umipig, who inked with Cal State Fullerton, is chipping in 16 points and seven assists. But Dickerson and Umipig aren’t the only talented players on Federal Way’s roster. Senior Robert Christopher is scoring in double figures (10.5 a game) and Tyrell Lewis (9.8), Jerry Duckworth (8.1) and George Williams (6.5) have all made huge contributions on both sides of the court.

Tickets to the 2010 King Holiday Hoopfest are $10 and $5 for students and seniors and are available at the door. The event includes a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King at 2 p.m.