There's no shortage of talented girls basketball teams in Region 4AAAAA, which can certainly argue its case as being the toughest region in the state in its classification.

Currently, the region boasts four teams - North Cobb, McEachern, Hillgrove and Campbell - ranked in the top 10 in the latest GaSports.com Prep Coaches poll, which was released Saturday.

The Lady Warriors (7-1) hold down the No. 2 position, while the Lady Indians (5-3) are No. 5. The Lady Hawks (7-0), who are the lone unbeaten team from the region, sit at No. 6 this week, while the Lady Spartans (3-1) are eighth.

Just last week, North Cobb, McEachern and Campbell were ranked second, third and fifth in the state, respectively, while Hillgrove was No. 9.

Only Regions 6AAAA and 5A, which are both split into two subregions, have as many teams in their respective top 10 as Region 4AAAAA.

"This is a very strong region for girls basketball and for basketball in general," Campbell coach Randy McClure said. "The thing is your team has to be at its best every night because you don't know what could happen down the road."

All four teams advanced to the second round of the state playoffs in their respective classifications last season with Campbell beating McEachern to become the only team to make the quarterfinals.

If everything holds the way it should, Campbell, Hillgrove, McEachern and North Cobb will be the final four teams remaining for the region crown when the league tournament takes place Feb. 14 at McEachern.

Until then, the four squads have already started battling each other for bragging rights with the Lady Hawks taking control as the early leader after action on Friday and Monday.

Hillgrove defeated Campbell 67-64 and North Cobb 71-62 in back-to-back meetings and now sits at 3-0 in the region standings. North Cobb has a 65-53 win over McEachern, while Campbell owns a 63-54 triumph over the Lady Indians. The Lady Warriors and Lady Spartans are each 2-1 in the region and the Lady Indians are 1-2.

"Nobody is going to roll over in this region," McClure said. "It would be foolish to take a night off because playing good teams now makes all of us better."

What makes this region so challenging are not only the capable coaching staffs matching wits on the hardwood, but also the hard working and talented players who showcase their skills.

Campbell has Erica Norwood and Chakecia Miller while Hillgrove has Larryqua Hall and Bria Smith. McEachern's lineup includes Brittany Hodges and Patchis Roberts, while North Cobb's roster has Jarae Savage and Kira Gordon.

Gifted players and good coaches make state championship caliber teams, and Region 4AAAAA has both.

"There are some good coaches and some good players here," McClure added. "Even the teams that aren't ranked, like Ivory Young's team at Pebblebrook, and Chris Jackson at Kennesaw Mountain has been around for a while; those are good teams. No game is going to be an easy win."

It's a sentiment echoed by many coaches in the region.

"This region is loaded," North Cobb coach Matt Williams said. "With four teams ranked in the top 10 and three were in the top five last week, I bet a lot of coaches would probably agree that it's the toughest region in the state.

"It's going to be tough to play every night. Even the other teams have solid players and the coaches no what they're doing. Every night's going to be a challenge."