Westlake eliminates Forsyth Central 74-55 in GHSA first round

Westlake eliminated Forsyth Central from the GHSA Class AAAAAA state tournament with a 74-55 victory that ended the Bulldogs’ season. The first-round game was played Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in the opening round of the GHSA state playoffs.

MaxPreps framed the result as a decisive effort by Westlake: "With a playoff win on the line, Westlake rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They enjoyed a cozy 74-55 win over the Forsyth Central Bulldogs." The site recorded Westlake’s record at 20-7 after the win and listed the victory as the Lions’ third in a row, noting, "Winning may never get old, but the Lions sure are getting used to it with their third in a row."

Forsyth Central’s season closed at 17-12, and MaxPreps summarized the Bulldogs’ current stretch as a three-game skid: "Westlake's victory bumped their record up to 20-7. As for Forsyth Central, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 17-12." The loss eliminated Forsyth Central from further play in the Class AAAAAA bracket for this year’s state tournament.

Westlake advances in the GHSA playoff bracket; a YouTube caption for game video captured the moment with truncated enthusiasm: "Westlake takes down Forsyth Central in round 1 of the State Playoffs and advances to the next round!! This was a high-energy,". Replay access is available — MaxPreps notes, "HOW TO WATCH: This game can be replayed on the NFHS Network, the official streaming partner of the GA High School Assn. (GHSA) & Forsyth Central High School. Watch Full Replay."

Reports include minor inconsistencies on venue and hosting. The original supplied report begins the sentence "Forsyth Central traveled to" but is truncated and does not identify a site. MaxPreps lists the line on Westlake’s page as "02/25/26 vs Forsyth Central | 74-55," which in MaxPreps notation commonly shows Westlake as the listed host. The explicit venue or gym name was not provided in the available excerpts and remains unconfirmed in the assembled reports.

The game was part of the GHSA’s 100th state tournament season as noted in broader playoff recaps; the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Wednesday-night roundup placed this match among many first-round contests and included historical context for Westlake programs, referencing a 2020 Westlake win over Collins Hill in a past GHSA title setting. MaxPreps also listed Westlake’s previous February wins, including a 79-39 victory over East Coweta on Feb. 12, 2026, and a 55-44 win at Douglas County on Feb. 10, 2026, showing the streak that reached three consecutive wins with the Forsyth Central result.

As of the MaxPreps update, "As of now, neither Westlake nor the Bulldogs have any future games scheduled." With Westlake advancing out of the first round, the Lions will be entered into the next stage of the Class AAAAAA bracket pending official GHSA scheduling and opponent assignments.