BOSTON Mazlin was the star of the show as the Gold Coast Rollers conjured up a 10-point win over the Ipswich Force to open the 2025 season in style in the NBL1 North Men’s competition on Thursday night.

The Rollers and the Force opened the Men’s division at Carrara Indoor Sports Stadium last night, with both sides looking to get out to a perfect start, and with NBL talent on both sides, it was sure to be an entertaining contest.

It was a see-sawing contest between the two teams, with plenty of momentum swings and impressive runs from either side. Although Ipswich held a four-point buffer heading into the final frame, it was Gold Coast taking control of the game, outscoring the Force 29-15 in the fourth en route to an impressive Round 1 victory.

Although there were bigger names in the clash, it was Mazlin who put himself on the map with an excellent offensive performance, proving extremely dangerous with ball in hand.

Gold Coast Rollers (98) def. Ipswich Force (88)

Boston Mazlin – 19 points, four rebounds, eight assists, one steal, one block

Playing all 40 minutes of the match, there were few players that were as productive as Mazlin, with the 23-year-old starting the season on fire with a standout showing.

It was a solid first quarter from the guard, who nailed an early three-pointer to instill confidence in himself and his team with a nice shot from range. He was also able to get others involved with excellent passes out to the perimeter, allowing his teammates to get wide open looks and punish the opposition. Mazlin had a huge play on quarter time, getting back on defence in the closing seconds to block an opposition layup and ensure the game was tied after 10 minutes.

Although his three-point shot did become wayward in the second term, he found some success scoring the ball inside, drawing contact and converting at the charity stripe. He was still able to get involved as a passer, and help his team take an eight-point buffer into the main change.

It was a quiet third term for both Mazlin and the Rollers as a team, with the Force controlling the term and putting the game back on their terms, leading by four at three-quarter time and taking all the momentum into the last.

Mazlin had a crucial performance in the final quarter, having some important makes, including the go-ahead bucket with a nice pull-up midrange shot with just under four minutes on the clock. He recorded a vital steal in the dying minutes of the match to take away any hope the Force had, before nailing a pair of layups on the drive to close out the contest.

He finished the match with 19 points and eight dimes on 7/16 shooting from the field in a breakthough showing from the guard, indicating he is in for a big campaign with the Rollers.