FARMINGTON — All Kenni Norton wants for Christmas is a clean bill of health.

“That and an iPad,” said the junior at the University of Maine-Farmington.

As the UMF women’s basketball team prepared to kick off its regular season, Norton is on the sidelines. After a strong sophomore season, the former Mt. Abram standout was ready to take another giant leap this season, but injury has gotten in the way.

What began as shin splints during the preseason worsened. Now Norton is out of action with a stress fracture.

“I had shin splints my senior year in high school,” said Norton. “Those went away in two weeks. That’s what I thought this was. It was the exact same symptoms.”

When the pain didn’t subside, she had it checked out. Now she’s out of action indefinitely. She’s scheduled to see her doctor later this month.

“We’re hoping we’ll have her back in December,” said UMF coach Jamie Beaudoin, whose home opener was postponed Tuesday night because of a power outage. “If not, we should have her back after the New Year. So we’re cautiously optimistic.”

It’s a disappointing turn of events for both Norton and her team. After playing well last year, Norton was going to be one of the Beavers top go-to players. Instead, Norton is using the first part of the season to stay in shape, cheer on her team and help them improve in her absence.

“I’m not disappointed at all,” said Norton. “I still like to watch basketball. I still like to watch my team, especially when you know individuals as much as I do. I get excited when they score or make a good pass or get a good rebound. I’m bummed out that I can’t participate, but I’m not bummed out about what my team can do.”

Norton was the third-leading scorer on the team with 11.2 points per game, but Ashley Busque and Jillian Ross both graduated. Norton also led the team in field goal percentage (42.1 percent), assists (58) and steals (34). She’s the top returning free-throw shooter (70.3 percent) and averaged 4.1 rebounds per game.

“Last year, she made great strides from her freshman year,” said Beaudoin. “When she was on the floor as a freshman, she contributed. The plays that she made showed she could develop into a really good player. Last year, she really had a step-up year and had a lot of big games for us.”

Her absence leaves a significant void in the UMF lineup.

“She’s our top returning scorer and she creates a matchup problems for a lot of teams,” said Beaudoin. “She has the skill to play on the perimeter and play inside. She can get to the rim off the dribble. Teams have to pay a lot of attention to her. Now with her off the floor, they can focus on taking care of their own players and not worrying about trying to help defend her on defense.”

It’s going to force other players to elevate their game. Returning upperclassmen like seniors Paige Saunders, Emma Morrison and Alyssa Neptune as well as juniors Lindsay Gordon and Rachel Clement might take on larger roles. There’s a group of sophomores that might be ready to step up their game, like Mallory Bonnevie, Bianca Stoutamyer, Hannah Roy and Holly Oliver. Beaudoin also says freshman Lindsay Ranquist might be able to fill in for Norton. The former Medomak Valley player was expected to shadow Norton this season and learn from her.

“You never hope for an injury but one thing it’s going to do is provide us and the players extra minutes,” said Beaudoin. “Now they’re the ones that will have to make some plays. Coming down at the end of the season, that’s going to make us a better team.”

Norton is making progress. She’s been doing pool workouts, cycling and core training. She started doing stationary drills this week, which allows her to keep her shooting touch.

“I’m not out completely,” she said. “I’m still able to do some exercises.”

She’s been working dutifully with her trainer and doctor to keep her on a steady pace toward recovery. Knowing that she’s got a chance to return this season, keeps her progressing.

“I don’t want to push to soon because then it could be the rest of my season,” said Norton.

Though she was excited to not only see what kind of impact she could make this season, she was also looking forward to see her team’s progress. Now she’ll see how they execute and interact together without her in the mix. Then she hopes to join in soon.

“It hasn’t discourage me about being excited about the season,” she said. “It’s not like I’m playing the whole time when I am on the floor. I still get to watch them play and grow as a team.”

She’s excited about doing her part while she’s sidelined. The team will do their part in the meantime.

“We’re going to play some games and we might take some lumps,” said Beaudoin. “We’re going to compete, and we’re going to get better. They know eventually Kenni is going to come back, and that’s going to make us a better team.”

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