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Up North Elite is a 17U AAU boys basketball team based in Moose Lake - with eight Moose Lake/Willow River players and two players from Cloquet - just finished their season, playing in Nebraska and winning over Chicago 66-26, Oklahoma Next Level 91-70, Iowa Chill 74-60. The team lost two close games to Sioux Falls, 67-76, and Iowa Prep, 47-58, the weekend of July 24-25.
Members of the team are ML/WR players Duane Broughton, Luke Dewey, Sam Dewey, Chance Lunde, Landin Kurhajetz, Logan Orvedahl, Phillip Sheetz, Alex Watrin. The Cloquet players are Caleb Hanson and Alec Turnbull.
Sheetz was named a top performer in the tournament, scoring 40 points (11 threes) against Oklahoma Next Level.
There were 22 teams in the 17U division coming from Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
The season started in April. Sam and Paul Dewey organized the Up North Elite AAU team, getting players, designing uniforms, collecting fees, signing up for tournaments, downloading game films, sending in game rosters, coordinating the limited number of fans allowed at games, and setting up practices. Pat Dewey ran the practices and coached the games in April and May. Angie Orvedahl was assistant coach. Minnesota State High School League rules allowed for Paul Dewey to also coach in June and July. Isabel Dewey filmed all the games and Bridget Dewey scheduled accommodations.