CLAFLIN, Kan. (AP) -- If the 600 or so residents of Claflin could speak with a single voice about their hometown hero Jackie Stiles, it might sound something like this:

We told you so.

People in the tiny central Kansas town say they've known all along that Stiles -- the star senior guard who has led Southwest Missouri State to the women's Final Four -- was something special. Now, the country knows.

In what has become a typical performance, Stiles -- the all-time NCAA women's scoring leader -- had 32 points in Monday's 104-87 win over Washington.

"That's the talk of the town this morning. It's just unbelievable, somebody from our town going that far,' said Kathy Clark, produce manager at Bailey's Food Bin in Claflin.

Claflin virtually stops when Southwest Missouri State games are on television, Clark says. Interest is so high that when it became known that Monday's regional final would be aired on ESPN2 -- a channel Claflin residents don't get through cable TV -- the local cable company arranged to show the game on another channel.

Now, residents are clamoring for tickets to see Stiles and the Lady Bears play in St. Louis on Friday.

At Diane's Diner, across the street from Bailey's Food Bin, the conversation was all Jackie, all the time.

Diner patron Don Zink said Stiles is an inspiration to the whole town.

"She's living proof of what we all told our kids, if you want it bad enough and you work hard enough, it's yours," Zink said. "She's proved it because she did work for it. She wasn't born that way."

Stiles' work ethic has become legendary in Claflin, taking root when she began playing basketball at Claflin High School. Stiles is famous for her goal of making 1,000 shots in a day.

"I used to walk over in the high school gym. She was there at 6 o'clock in the morning. She'd put so many shots up everyday. That was her goal," said 73-year-old resident Tom Chism. "She's just an unbelievable kid to have a work ethic like she has."

Said Gregg Webb, Stiles' high school coach: 'Her work ethic was so ridiculous and so off the scale that the kids see her as not real."

Win or lose in the Final Four, Claflin will celebrate Jackie Stiles Day on April 14, with a parade through town and a reception with Stiles at the high school.

"We're a little sorry she's no longer Claflin's girl," Zink said. "She kind of now belongs to the country."