'Le-gacy': Son of NBL gun leads Rollers to sweep

• Jensen Bradtke scored 14 of his 28 points in the final 6:25 of Game 2
• Lamar Patterson scored 40 for Ipswich and 72 across the two-game series
• Mackay made 16-from-29 from three in a 120-87 Game 3 in Townsville

Two sons of former NBL guns Jensen Bradtke and Preston Le Gassick showed their pedigree in the 2026 NBL1 Men's Grand Final Series, leading the Gold Coast Rollers to two-game sweep of the Ipswich Force at the weekend.

Jensen is the son of NBL and Australian Boomers legend Mark and Preston the son of former Gold Coast Rollers NBL role player Brendan.

Rollers big Bradtke, who signed as a development player for Melbourne United for NBL27, scored 14 points in the last six minutes and 25 seconds to drag the Rollers past Ipswich 120-116 to complete a 2-0 at The Southport School on Saturday, August 8, 2026.

The Rollers were tied at 93 after three quarters and trailed by five, 102-107, with 5:46 to play.

They closed the game on an 18-9 run.

Bradtke did most of it himself. A three-pointer at 6:25 cut the deficit to one. Two free throws at 4:57 made it 107-104. A second three at 4:21, assisted by Grand Final MVP Preston Le Gassick, put Gold Coast in front for the first time in the quarter at 109-107.

Ipswich answered every time. Lamar Patterson converted a driving layup and the and-one free throw at 3:36 to lead 110-109. Bradtke replied 19 seconds later with a jump shot off a Boston Mazlin assist.

From there the Rollers never trailed again.

Le Gassick, who signed with the New Zealand Breakers for NBL27, stole the ball from Jason Ralph and scored at 2:56 for a 113-110 lead. Merrick Small answered. Bradtke rebounded his own missed layup and tipped it back in at 1:52. Patterson answered.

Brodie McGregor made both free throws at 1:19 for 117-114. Small scored again at 1:03. Bradtke rebounded his own miss a second time and tipped it in at 0:47 for 119-116, and Mazlin's free throw with a second left set the final margin.

Small's three-pointer in the final second missed.

Bradtke finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, going 10-from-15 from the field and 6-from-8 from the charity stripe.

Mazlin had 24 points on 9-from-11 shooting, 5-from-6 from deep, with seven assists and three steals. Le Gassick added 23 points, six rebounds and nine assists. James Whitt had 22 points, seven assists and three steals. McGregor scored 17 on 5-from-6 shooting and 7-from-7 free throws.

Ipswich shot better and lost.

The Force made 45-from-80 from the field at 56.25 per cent and 15-from-27 from three at 55.56 per cent, both superior to Gold Coast's 44-from-72 and 10-from-21. The game turned on the two columns that do not appear in a shooting split: Ipswich committed 15 turnovers to Gold Coast's eight, and Gold Coast went 22-from-28 from the free-throw line against Ipswich's 11-from-15.

Patterson was enormous in defeat with 40 points on 16-from-25 shooting, 6-from-12 from three, six rebounds and six assists, offset by seven turnovers. Small had 29 points and 12 rebounds on 13-from-20. Lachlan Anderson played all 40 minutes for 19 points and seven rebounds. Kane Bishop came off the bench for 18 points on 5-from-6 from three.

Game 2 Highlights

Game 1 had been nothing like it.

Gold Coast led 33-21 at quarter-time on the Friday night and won 118-85, shooting 41-from-71 for 57.75 per cent with 35 assists on 41 made field goals. Le Gassick scored 29 on 9-from-16 with four triples and 7-from-8 from the line. Whitt had 17 points and eight assists, McGregor 17, and Bradtke 16 with eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Ashley McGrath went 4-from-4 for 11 points off the bench.

Patterson's 32 was the only Ipswich line to clear 20. The Force shot 32-from-82 for 39.02 per cent.

Across the two games Patterson scored 72 points.

The women's series went the distance, and the away team won it

Mackay beat Townsville 120-87 in Game 3 at Carmichael Ford Stadium on Sunday, August 9, 2026 to take the NBL1 North women's championship 2-1, having played all three games in Townsville.

Townsville went into Game 3 without WNBL26 Grand Final MVP Courtney, who was ruled out after pouring in 30 in Game 1 and 39 in Game 2.

"We knew if we could put a performance together, we'd be fine," Mackay head coach Ross Jensen said.

"We saved our best shooting performance until last. It was a team effort, mate.

"Look, obviously they didn't have the MVP, but we'll take the chances. I guess that's our strength – it's always been our depth.

"Our young kids stepped up when we needed them to, and our stars stepped up when they had to shine.

"To put them in a position to be successful, that's all I want to do."

basketball.com.au editor and NBL1 North women's head coach Brayden Heslehurst said last week Mackay should be the envy of every NBL1 club in Australia for the way it has built its program from the ground up.

Whether Woods would have made a difference in Game 3 is anyone's guess because the Meteorettes made 16-from-29 from beyond the arc at 55.17 per cent, shot 42-from-74 overall, went 20-from-24 from the line and turned the ball over seven times.

Sammie Puisis led them with 25 points on 7-from-8 from three. Chelsea Brook had 21 points and seven rebounds on 9-from-15. Monique Bobongie scored 18 with six assists. River Baldwin posted 14 points and 10 rebounds. Grand Final MVP Cheyenne Bobongie had 12 points and nine assists.

Mackay broke it open in the third, winning the quarter 37-23.

Hannah Jensen made three triples for nine points off the bench, Nikita Muscat scored nine on 7-from-8 free throws, and Charli Kenny scored seven in four minutes and 23 seconds.

Mia Murray, one of two Townsville captains named for the decider, scored 29 on 11-from-15 shooting and 5-from-6 from three. Kate Searle added 19. Chailee Ward played all 40 minutes for 13 points and eight assists. Ella Tofaeono scored 13.

Courtney Woods, who had scored 30 and 39 points in the first two games, does not appear in the Game 3 box score. Bree Stephens, who played 34 minutes in Game 2, played nine minutes and 21 seconds in Game 3.

Game 2 was the one that got away from Mackay.

Townsville led 71-54 at three-quarter-time on the Saturday and held on to win 82-76, despite being outscored 22-11 in the fourth. Woods was the reason, with 39 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on 15-from-24 shooting, including 14-from-20 from inside the arc and 8-from-11 from the line.

Mackay shot 5-from-32 from three that night. In the decider they made 16.

Baldwin had 16 points and 11 rebounds in Game 2, Puisis 16 on 5-from-21, and Muscat 12 off the bench.

Game 1 was the statement.

Mackay won 107-78, opening 30-16 and shooting 57.75 per cent for the night with 26 assists and 18-from-21 free throws. Baldwin had 31 points and 13 rebounds on 12-from-21. Cheyenne Bobongie scored 19 with eight assists. Monique Bobongie had 15 on 6-from-10, Brook 14 with eight rebounds and six assists, and Muscat 11 on 4-from-4.

Woods scored 30 for Townsville on 10-from-16 with five triples. Stephens added 20 and Searle 12 on 4-from-5 from deep.

Gold Coast played both games at The Southport School. Mackay played all three at Townsville's Carmichael Ford Stadium, and won the title there.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Jensen Bradtke (Gold Coast) - 28 points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks in Game 2, with 14 of those points inside the last 6:25‍
• Lamar Patterson (Ipswich) - 72 points across two games, including 40 on 16-from-25 in Game 2‍
• Boston Mazlin (Gold Coast) - 24 points on 9-from-11, 5-from-6 from three, seven assists in Game 2‍
• Merrick Small (Ipswich) - 29 points and 12 rebounds on 13-from-20 in Game 2‍
• Courtney Woods (Townsville) - 30 and 39 points in Games 1 and 2 but missed Game 3.‍
• River Baldwin (Mackay) - 31 and 13 in Game 1, 16 and 11 in Game 2, 14 and 10 in Game 3‍
• Sammie Puisis (Mackay) - 25 points on 7-from-8 from three in the decider‍
• Mackay's three-point shooting - 5-from-32 in Game 2, 16-from-29 in Game 3