It took over two months but for the first time all season, the top two ranked teams in NEO squared off on Friday. Jackson was able to not only win the game but they also secured their third straight Federal League title in their 17-point win over North Canton Hoover. 

While Jackson may have locked up the top seed in their own district, there were a number of teams fighting it out in some pivotal games moving forward.

Check out the lastest Top 25 poll in NEO!

1. Massillon Jackson (1)

• Record: 16-1
• Last Week: Defeated Green, 81-60. Defeated #4 Hoover, 66-49. 
• This Week: 2/10 vs. #18 Lake
• Outlook: Jackson won their third straight Federal League title on Friday but they face one more league opponent in Lake before a tough stretch of non-conference matchups next week.

2. St. Ignatius (3)

• Record: 11-4
• Last Week: Defeated #11 Cleveland Heights, 74-50.
• This Week: 1/10 @ #5 St. Edward, 1/11 vs. #22 Solon
• Outlook: The Wildcats delivered a statement to the rest of the area with their lopsided victory over Heights, but they host two Top 25 matchups this weekend including an anticipated rematch with St. Ed's.

3. St. Vincent-St. Mary (4)

• Record: 12-4
• Last Week: Idle
• This Week: 2/7 vs. #7 Hoban
• Outlook: A streaking Hoban team travel to the LeBron James Arena on Tuesday to play a Fighting Irish group that should be fully rested after a week of no games. Expect a sold out crowd for the Catholic school showdown. 

4. North Canton Hoover

• Record: 13-3
• Last Week: Defeated Canton McKinley, 65-55. Lost vs. #1 Jackson, 66-49.
• This Week: 2/7 vs. Massillon, 2/10 vs. Green
• Outlook: Friday's rematch with Jackson didn't go as planned for the Hoover and the loss will likely give them the number two seed in the stacked D1 Canton District. 

5. St. Edward (5)

• Record: 12-4
• Last Week: Defeated Lutheran East, 74-60. 
• This Week: 2/7 vs. Shaw, 2/10 vs. #2 St. Ignatius
• Outlook: The Eagles have knocked off the area's top two Division 4 teams in Cornerstone Christian and Lutheran East but there isn't a game on their schedule that they want more than the rematch with Ignatius, they were defeated in overtime by the Wildcats back on January 13th.

6. Lorain (6)

• Record: 14-2
• Last Week: Defeated #10 Maple Heights, 78-69. Defeated Toledo Scott, 83-51.
• This Week: 2/10 vs. Warrensville Heights, 2/11 vs. Shaw
• Outlook: It looks like the Titans are the favorite to win the Elyria Catholic District as they look to reach the regional tournament for the third consecutive season. 

7. Archbishop Hoban (8)

• Record: 15-1
• Last Week: Defeated Padua, 60-51. Defeated Walsh Jesuit, 52-24.
• This Week: 2/7 @ #3 St. Vincent-St. Mary, 2/10 @ Lake Catholic
• Outlook: Hoban has now won 15 straight after two league wins. They put their streak on the line against St. Vincent-St. Mary, their crosstown rival and the area's top team in Division 2.

8. Garfield Heights (7)

• Record: 13-4
• Last Week: Lost vs. #21 CCC, 64-62. Defeated #12 Medina, 63-45.
• This Week: 2/7 vs. Beachwood, 2/10 vs. Lutheran East
• Outlook: The Bulldogs did an excellent job of controlling the glass of Saturday's game at Medina, limiting the Bees to one shot. The 18 point win served as a solid bounce back game after the last second loss to CCC.

9. Cornerstone Christian (10)

• Record: 13-4
• Last Week: Defeated Orange, 77-47.
• This Week: 2/10 vs. Gilmour, 2/11 vs. Harvey
• Outlook: With the brunt of their schedule behind them, the defending champs in Division 4 are looking to rack up some wins heading into tournament time. 

10. Maple Heights (12)

• Record: 12-3
• Last Week: Lost vs. #6 Lorain, 78-69. 
• This Week: 2/7 @ Brecksville, 2/10 @ #11 Cleveland Heights
• Outlook: A late scoring burst from Alfonse Hale wouldn't be enough to avenge their earlier loss to Lorain but the Mustangs were just a few buckets away from completing the upset. 

11. Cleveland Heights (9)

• Record: 11-6
• Last Week: Defeated Shaw, 80-62. Lost vs. #2 St. Ignatius, 74-50
• This Week: 2/10 vs. #10 Maple Heights
• Outlook: The Tigers have played perhaps the toughest schedule in Cleveland and it has had its effects late. Heights has been unable to put together a string of wins since the beginning of the year. 

12. Medina (13)

• Record: 15-4
• Last Week: Defeated Euclid, 100-85. Defeated #20 Brunswick, 64-41. Lost vs. #8 Garfield Heights, 63-45.
• This Week: 2/10 @ #17 Elyria
• Outlook: The Bees are looking to recover from their home loss against Garfield Heights with three straight wins in the GCC to close out the regular season.

13. Copley (16)

• Record: 16-0
• Last Week: Defeated Revere, 84-64. Defeated Tallmadge, 74-54.
• This Week: 2/7 @ #25 Wadsworth, 2/10 vs. Highland
• Outlook: The Indians have now won 40 straight games in the regular season but they will be met by two road of the Suburban League's best this week.

14. Benedictine (11)

• Record: 13-4
• Last Week: Lost vs. Padua, 74-72. Defeated Gilmour, 72-42
• This Week: 2/10 @ NDCL, 2/11 vs. University
• Outlook: Bene's loss to Padua resulted in their first two-game skid of the season for Coach Stircula and the young Bengals' squad.

15. Holy Name (17)

• Record: 14-2
• Last Week: Defeated Rocky River, 65-48.
• This Week: 2/7 @ Parma, 2/10 vs. Valley Forge, 2/11 @ #21 CCC
• Outlook: Saturday's matchup with CCC is must see TV for hoops fans in Northeast Ohio. Expect an uptempo game with some of the area's top athletes on the floor. 

16. Wooster (18)

• Record: 17-0
• Last Week: Defeated Lexington, 67-44. Defeated Orrville, 69-41.
• This Week: 2/7 @ Mt. Vernon, 2/10 @ Clear Fork
• Outlook: Two games stand in the way between an anticipated matchup with Wooster and number one Jackson on 2/14. The game could cause a shakeup in the seeding of the Canton district.

17. Elyria (20)

• Record: 14-3
• Last Week: Defeated Strongsville, 81-63. Defeated Elyria Catholic, 66-63.
• This Week: 2/10 vs. #12 Medina
• Outlook: Senior Antonio Blanton has made two of the biggest shots this season after he drilled a contested three against rival Elyria Catholic. They host Medina on Friday, Blanton's three gave the Bees their first loss of the season back in January.

18. Uniontown Lake (14)

• Record: 13-5
• Last Week: Defeated Massillon Perry, 64-53. Lost vs. McKinley, 55-51.
• This Week: 2/10 @ #1 Massillon Jackson
• Outlook: The Blue Streaks are ending Federal League play with a bang as they hope to knock off the top ranked Polar Bears this week. 

19. VASJ (22)

• Record: 11-5
• Last Week: Defeated Valley Christian, 45-33. Defeated #23 Mentor, 66-61.
• This Week: 2/7 vs. Gilmour, 2/10 vs. Warren JFK
• Outlook: Don't look now but the Vikings have won seven of their last eight and are the clear favorite in Division 3 to get out of regionals. Junior Gene Higgins has been one of the area's top point-guards in his second year at the helm. 

20. Brunswick (19)

• Record: 13-6
• Last Week: Defeated #22 Solon, 64-58. Lost vs. #12 Medina, 64-41.
• This Week: 2/10 vs. Strongsville
• Outlook: It has been an up-and-down year for Coach Mackey and the Blue Devils this season. With just three games remaining, they have a shot to win out and then make a run in the wide open Copley District.

21. Cleveland Central Catholic (24)

• Record: 10-6
• Last Week: Defeated #8  Garfield Heights, 64-62. Defeated Warren JFK, 89-67. 
• This Week: 2/10 vs. Trinity, 2/11 vs. #15 Holy Name
• Outlook: A last second layup by Delshawn Jackson gave the Ironmen their first win over a Top 25 as they knocked off rival Garfield Heights last week at the Quicken Loans Arena.

22. Solon (21)

• Record: 13-5
• Last Week: Lost vs. #20 Brunswick, 64-58. Defeated #23 Mentor 75-73.
• This Week: 2/10 @ Euclid, 2/11 @ #2 St. Ignatius
• Outlook: The GCC has seen its shares of game-winning shots this season. Sincere Carry's last second bucket against Mentor was enough to put the Comets above .500 in the league.

23. Mentor (15)

• Record: 11-5
• Last Week: Defeated Strongsville, 74-59. Lost vs. #22 Solon, 75-73. Lost vs. #19 VASJ, 66-61. 
• This Week: 2/10 vs. Shaker Heights
• Outlook: The Cardinals have lost four of their last six contests and the road doesn't get much easier moving forward. With a string of home games coming, they have a chance to get back in a groove offensively and turn things around heading into the tournament.

24. Akron Ellet (23)

• Record: 14-3
• Last Week: Defeated Akron East, 69-46. Defeated Firestone, 77-67.
• This Week: 2/8 @ Akron North, 2/10 vs. Massillon
• Outlook: A.J. Gareri returned back to the lineup and his comeback resulted in a pair of double digit wins for Coach Fisher and company.

25. Wadsworth (25)

• Record: 12-4
• Last Week: Defeated Cuyahoga Falls, 74-53. Defeated North Royalton, 61-53.
• This Week: 2/7 vs. #13 Copley, 2/10 vs. Twinsburg
• Outlook: The Grizzlies have been playing their best basketball as of late but they face their toughest test to date on Tuesday against an undefeated Copley team.

• McKinley (12-7)
• Stow (11-4)
• Brecksville (13-3)
• Warren Harding (11-6)
• Massillon Washington (12-4)