Just wanted to take a minute to offer a belated congratulations to the three area teams that played this weekend in the state basketball final four.

The John A. Coleman boys basketball team was so close to winning it first state title, while the Coleman girls and Red Hook boys were more-than-competitive in their semifinal losses.

I'm sure the sting of defeat will remain for all three teams, but hopefully -- in time -- they will be able to step back and realize how difficult it is to get as far as they all did.

Job well done!