The series - completed in the first half of the campaign - was split at two apiece, with point differential seeing the Breakers earn the tie-breaker should the rivals finish level in the playoff picture. Which, based on tonight, is entirely possible.
Victory, coming after defeat in Perth on Friday night, helped the Breakers (8-5) edge above the chasing pack and solidify their standing in third, while the Wildcats (9-5) remained clear in second by the slimmest of margins.
Such a scenario was only appropriate after a game that remained in the balance until the fourth quarter. In the end, the Breakers had too many weapons at one end and their defence was too strong at the other.
The Breakers were left thanking their sharp shooters - Abercrombie's efforts were added to 21 points from league-leading scorer Corey Webster - and, especially, their big men.
After allowing Perth 52 points in the paint on Friday night, Jackson, Mika Vukona and Alex Pledger were challenged with protecting the area under their own rim, a challenge the trio appeared to relish.
"It didn't sit well with any of us," coach Dean Vickerman said of the nature of Friday's loss. "We went into the review the other day and talked about being soft. That's a word that doesn't sit right with this team. But we were honest enough to say what we were and then able to make a change."
That change saw the bigs tighten the screws at the defensive end and, equally impressively, also lift their own offensive performances. Jackson led the way with 19 points, 12 rebounds and two timely blocks, but Vukona (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Pledger (11 points, seven rebounds) were no less influential at both ends of the floor.
"The bigs were outstanding in their ability to protect the paint," Vickerman said. "That's what we talked about a lot before the game. An incredible number of those 52 points last week were in the charge circle, so we had to protect that area and we did a great job of doing that."
Defence certainly appeared a distant second priority as the first quarter took on the semblance of a free-flowing shootout. Both teams were matching each other possession for possession and the game was more than eight minutes old before either side edged ahead by more than two points.
Perth were the first to stick their noses but, pleasingly for the home side, they were beginning to hold their own in the paint to largely negate Perth's chief strength and take a six-point lead to the major break.
"We took their best shot early on," Vickerman said. "They played some unbelievable basketball in that first quarter and I thought out ability to weather that and continue to score through that second period and really turn up the defence for those last three quarters was outstanding."
That defence, along with a growing superiority on the boards, helped the Breakers push past a double-digit margin for the first time all evening and, in the final period, back-to-back threes from Webster was followed immediately by another triple from Abercrombie to all but seal the result.
Breakers 99 (Abercrombie 23, Webster 21, Charles Jackson 19)
Wildcats 78 (Beal 23, Prather 12, Knight 11)
HT: 54-48
