Corey Webster, having fallen barely short of his NBA dream, will complete his journey back from New Orleans in time to hear about tonight's result. And, importantly for Dean Vickerman's side, in time to pull on the Breakers singlet for the visit of Sydney on Wednesday.
The shooting guard will provide instant offence for a team yet to reach top form at either end of the court, also adding some much-needed depth to a roster struggling with a revolving door in the early season.
Mika Vukona was back for the Breakers tonight but Alex Pledger was again out of the lineup. While Tom Abercrombie, another to have missed time this season, was his side's best at Perth Arena, pouring in a game-high 23 points, the swingman had plenty of help.
Cedric Jackson was unsurprisingly influential, scoring 19 points and flourishing both when attacking the hoop and shooting from range. Fellow import Charles Jackson, meanwhile, enjoyed probably his best game for the Breakers, thriving under the rim to pull down 15 rebounds while playing solid defence on the hulking Nathan Jawai.
Everard Bartlett, meanwhile, did his best to demonstrate his effectiveness while playing for his future, countering the looming threat of Webster's return with 17 point on six-of-11 shooting.
The Breakers would have hoped their various threats were enough to add up to a victory, but the game was at least good value for the viewer. Because if the rest of the competition may have closed the gap, fixtures between these old rivals are clearly still appointment viewing.
The the lead changed hands six times tonight and it was the nature of these swings that defined the encounter, with each side soaking up the best the other could throw before counter-punching.
The Breakers were the first to knock down their opponent, taking advantage of a horror shooting start from Perth to jump ahead in the opening quarter. The home side hit back to find their first lead in the second before an 11-0 run from the Breakers helped the Kiwi club take a four-point edge into the major break.
While the visitors' edge was built on a much-improved defensive effort after a rough night against Kirk Penney and the Hawks, much of that went to waste as the Wildcats enjoyed their own 10-0 run to lead by five heading into the fourth.
And, despite the best efforts of Abercrombie, Perth were able to hang onto their advantage and illustrate their own title credentials.
Wildcats 83 (Beal 19, Knight 14, Wagstaff 14)
Breakers 80 (Abercrombie 23, Jackson 19, Bartlett 17)
HT: 36-40
