PEORIA, Ill. - The Kirkwood Eagles have improved by 33 points in their  battles with Illinois Central this season, but it wasn't enough Sunday in the championship game of the Cougar Classic.

The 11th-ranked Eagles lost to No. 4 Illinois Central, 71-59, to finish second in the eight-team holiday tournament.

Illinois Central dumped Kirkwood, 94-49, when they met Dec. 10 in   Peoria, so the Eagles chopped their deficit from 45 points down to 12.

Illinois Central won its 14th straight game and raised its record to 14-1. Kirkwood fell to 11-5.

Mackenzie Jenkins led Kirkwood with 13 points. Ashley Tull netted 11 points and Anasha Hurst had 10. Tull, Hurst and Paige Bradford were named to the all-tournament team.

Marquita Easley poured in 28 points for Illinois Central.

Kirkwood trailed by single digits in the fourth quarter, but could not fully recover from a 32-21 deficit at halftime. Illinois Central won  the battle of the boards, 44-32.

ILLINOIS CENTRAL (71): Becker 0 1-2 1, Brown 0 0-0 0, Coates 5 2-6 12,  Easley 11 5-8 28, Faulkner 0 2-2 2, Hare 0 0-0 0, Henderson 3 2-2 10, Overman 0 0-0 0, Pinnock Branford 1 0-0 2, Summer 5 2-2 12, Ward 2 0-0  4, Washington 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 14-22 71.

KIRKWOOD (59): Bradford 3 1-1 7, Jenkins 5 1-2 13, Gaston 2 0-1 4,  Lipsey 2 0-0 6, Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Myers 0 0-0 0, Hurst 4 2-2 10, Tomaszewski 0 0-0 0, Robinson 0 0-2 0, Mullinnix 2 0-0 6, Mensen 0 0-0  0, Tull 3 5-5 11. Totals 22 9-13 59.

Halftime - Illinois Central 32, Kirkwood 21. 3-point goals - Illinois Central 3 (Henderson 2, Easley 1), Kirkwood 6 (Jenkins 2, Lipsey 2,  Mullinnix 2).