Regardless of the level she was playing, Sandra “Duck” Newborn was a star on the basketball court.
Even before her time at Northwest, Newborn was a terror to opposing teams, leading Olive Branch High School to the Mississippi State Playoffs as a senior and was named the Offensive Player of the Year in 1979. Add on a pair of All-Chickasaw Conference awards and a pair of conference championships, and there was no doubt the Rangers were getting a star.
As a freshman, it didn’t take long for her to impact the team, helping the Rangers to a 33-1 overall record, a MACJC championship, a Region 23 championship, and a final four appearance at the NJCAA tournament.
That success continued into the 1980-81 season where the Rangers again once again topped the MACJC with a 26-1 overall record, going undefeated until the Region tournament to the hands of Shelby State in a 81-78 thriller in the second round. The team was the nation’s top scoring offense, averaging 93 points per game.
Newborn was named an All-State and All-Region VII player both her seasons with the Rangers and was named the programs first All-American as a member of the second team. She also was a member of the NJCAA and Mississippi JUCO All-Star teams.
After her time with the Rangers, Newborn remained in the region, heading up the road to Oxford to play for Ole Miss and the Rebels where she continued to be a standout, earning All-Region honors as a senior in the 1982-83 season, averaging 9.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds in her career.
She helped the Rebels to the NJCAA tournament both years, falling to Memphis in the opening round in 1982 72-70 before earning the fourth seed her senior year, defeating Florida State in the opening round before falling to Pat Summit and the Tennessee Volunteers in triple overtime in the second round.
Newborn regrettably passed away in 2006, but her legacy continues to live on with the impacts she made both on the court and off.
